Citation

Mouzon BC, Chaytow H, Crynen G, Bachmeier C, Stewart JE, Mullan M, Stewart W, Crawford FC. J. Neurotrauma 2012; 29(18): 2761-2773.

Affiliation

Roskamp Institute, 2040 Whitfield ave, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, Florida, United States, 34243, 941-752-2948; bmouzon@rfdn.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2012.2498

PMID

22900595

Abstract

Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) represents the most common type of brain injury. However, in contrast to moderate or severe injury, there are currently few noninvasive experimental studies that investigate the cumulative effects of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury using rodent models. Here we describe and compare the behavioral and pathological consequences in a mouse model of single (s-mTBI) or repetitive injury (r-mTBI, 5 injuries given at 48 h intervals) administered by an electromagnetic controlled impactor. Our results reveal that a single mTBI is associated with transient motor deficits and cognitive deficits as demonstrated by rotarod and the Barnes Maze respectively, whereas repetitive mTBI results in more significant deficits in both paradigms. Histology revealed no overt cell loss in the hippocampus, though a reactive gliosis did emerge in hippocampal sector CA1 and in the deeper cortical layers beneath the injury site in repetitively injured animals, where evidence of focal injury also was observed in the brainstem and cerebellum. Axonal injury, manifest as amyloid precursor protein immunoreactive axonal profiles, was present in the corpus callosum of both injury groups, though more evident in the r-mTBI animals. Our data demonstrate that this mouse model of mTBI is reproducible, simple and non-invasive, with behavioral impairment after a single injury and increasing deficits after multiple injuries accompanied by increased focal and diffuse pathology. As such, this model may serve as a suitable platform with which to explore repetitive mTBI relevant to human brain injury.

Language: en