Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration
Quantifying axons and myelin is essential for understanding spinal cord injury (SCI) mechanisms and developing targeted therapies. This study proposes and validates an automated method to measure axons and myelin, applied to compare contusion, dislocation, and distraction SCIs in a rat model. Spinal...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Brain Research Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036192302500005X |
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| author | Xuan Li Yuan He Fangyao Chen Xin Tong Yunlong Fan Yuzhe Langzhou Jie Liu Kinon Chen |
| author_facet | Xuan Li Yuan He Fangyao Chen Xin Tong Yunlong Fan Yuzhe Langzhou Jie Liu Kinon Chen |
| author_sort | Xuan Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quantifying axons and myelin is essential for understanding spinal cord injury (SCI) mechanisms and developing targeted therapies. This study proposes and validates an automated method to measure axons and myelin, applied to compare contusion, dislocation, and distraction SCIs in a rat model. Spinal cords were processed and stained for neurofilament, tubulin, and myelin basic protein, with histology images segmented into dorsal, lateral, and ventral white matter regions. Custom MATLAB scripts identified axons and myelin through brightness-based object detection and shape analysis, followed by an iterative dilation process to differentiate myelinated from unmyelinated axons. Validation showed a high correlation with manual counts of total and myelinated axons, with no significant differences between methods. Application of this method revealed distinct injury-specific changes: dislocation caused the greatest axonal loss, while distraction led to the lowest myelin-to-axon-area ratio, indicating preserved axons but severe demyelination. All injuries resulted in increased axon diameter and a decreased myelin-sheath-thickness-to-axon-diameter ratio, suggesting disrupted myelination. These results indicate that remyelination therapies may be most effective for distraction injuries, where preserved axons make remyelination crucial, while axonal regeneration therapies are likely better suited for dislocation injuries with extensive axonal loss. Contusion injuries, involving both axonal and myelin damage, may benefit from a combination of neuroprotective and remyelination strategies. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring treatments to the distinct pathophysiological features of each SCI type to optimize recovery outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-93226ec046f945a09bae2d53e8f956a6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1873-2747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Research Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-93226ec046f945a09bae2d53e8f956a62025-02-07T04:46:40ZengElsevierBrain Research Bulletin1873-27472025-02-01221111193Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regenerationXuan Li0Yuan He1Fangyao Chen2Xin Tong3Yunlong Fan4Yuzhe Langzhou5Jie Liu6Kinon Chen7Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, ChinaInstitute of Trauma & Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University – Yifu Science Hall, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing 100191, China; Corresponding author.Quantifying axons and myelin is essential for understanding spinal cord injury (SCI) mechanisms and developing targeted therapies. This study proposes and validates an automated method to measure axons and myelin, applied to compare contusion, dislocation, and distraction SCIs in a rat model. Spinal cords were processed and stained for neurofilament, tubulin, and myelin basic protein, with histology images segmented into dorsal, lateral, and ventral white matter regions. Custom MATLAB scripts identified axons and myelin through brightness-based object detection and shape analysis, followed by an iterative dilation process to differentiate myelinated from unmyelinated axons. Validation showed a high correlation with manual counts of total and myelinated axons, with no significant differences between methods. Application of this method revealed distinct injury-specific changes: dislocation caused the greatest axonal loss, while distraction led to the lowest myelin-to-axon-area ratio, indicating preserved axons but severe demyelination. All injuries resulted in increased axon diameter and a decreased myelin-sheath-thickness-to-axon-diameter ratio, suggesting disrupted myelination. These results indicate that remyelination therapies may be most effective for distraction injuries, where preserved axons make remyelination crucial, while axonal regeneration therapies are likely better suited for dislocation injuries with extensive axonal loss. Contusion injuries, involving both axonal and myelin damage, may benefit from a combination of neuroprotective and remyelination strategies. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring treatments to the distinct pathophysiological features of each SCI type to optimize recovery outcomes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036192302500005XSpinal cord injuryAxonsMyelinNeurodegenerationRemyelinationQuantification |
| spellingShingle | Xuan Li Yuan He Fangyao Chen Xin Tong Yunlong Fan Yuzhe Langzhou Jie Liu Kinon Chen Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration Brain Research Bulletin Spinal cord injury Axons Myelin Neurodegeneration Remyelination Quantification |
| title | Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| title_full | Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| title_fullStr | Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| title_short | Automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion, dislocation, and distraction spinal cord injuries: Insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| title_sort | automated quantification of axonal and myelin changes in contusion dislocation and distraction spinal cord injuries insights into targeted remyelination and axonal regeneration |
| topic | Spinal cord injury Axons Myelin Neurodegeneration Remyelination Quantification |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036192302500005X |
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