Apparatus for simulating traumatic brain injury and method for inducing spinal cord injury

Abstract

An apparatus for simulating human traumatic brain injury in an animal, said apparatus comprising a support having an aperture having end walls and side walls disposed therein; a sliding element slidingly engaged with said side walls of said aperture, said sliding element having a retainer disposed thereon for receiving an animal holder therein; and a crank arm operatively connected to both said sliding element and an actuator mechanism. There is also disclosed a method of simulating human traumatic brain injury in an animal which includes the steps of providing an animal and repeatedly laterally displacing the animal in a reciprocal manner in order to cause acceleration and deceleration of the animal laterally to cause the animal's brain to be correspondingly accelerated and decelerated thereby causing traumatic brain injury. A method of simulating human spinal cord injury in an animal, said method comprising the steps of providing a vertebrate animal having an invertebral space and a spinal cord; causing an opening in the animal at the invertebral space to the interior surface of the spinal cord; inserting a deflated balloon embolectomy catheter into the opening, and rapidly inflating the balloon catheter to cause the balloon catheter to expand and contact the spinal cord whereby the contact causes injury to the spinal cord.