Biomechanical Behaviour of the Spinal Cord

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My overall research program addresses the manner in which mechanical forces produce spinal cord injury (SCI). The long-term goal of this research program is to determine biomechanical tolerance levels for the spinal cord. The data collected in this process will enable us to differentiate relevant SCI injury mechanisms that occur in people and also enable the design of devices and environments to prevent SCI. The specific objectives of this five-year research program are to i) determine the mechanical parameters (e.g. internal displacements) that correlate best with spinal cord tissue damage over a range of relevant injury conditions) and ii) predict the effect of a range of relevant impact variables on the patterns of spinal cord damage using a mathematical modeling technique termed the finite element method. To address the first specific objective, two parallel approaches will be used. First, relevant SCIs will be produced invivo in rats using our UBC multi-mechanism SCI device. These experiments will be simulated with our current mathematical model and the level of agreement between experiment and simulation will be determined. Based upon the results, the characteristics of the model will be adjusted based upon the literature such that the level of agreement improves. Second, SCIs in rats will be produced across a range of novel conditions using our UBC device. Our finite element model of the rat cervical spine will be used to predict the tissue damage patterns within the cord after this injury. The degree of association between the experiments and the simulations will tell us whether we have a strong predictive model. When successful, we will have identified a biomechanical tolerance criterion for spinal cord tissue. This is important for determining the susceptibility of the spinal cord to mechanical injury under a range of conditions. A thorough knowledge of the mechanics of the injury, combined with a validated FE model, will enable the sub-classification of SCI by injury mechanism and also facilitate the design of devices and environments to prevent SCI.