In our experience, we've used quite a few histological techniques, such as quantifying the total lesion volume, monitoring adjacent tissue for activated microglia and reactive astrocytes, cell counting for NeuN, and Propidum Iodide staining post-SCI.
Hello Alexandre.
It is also interesting to look at tissue loss after SCI by quantifying the spared tissue via a grid (for example see publication below).
If you injure a specific neuronal tract, you could retrogradely or anterogradely label the tract (depends on the neurons you are looking at) and quantify the labeled axons entering, in or leaving the lesion site. This is a time- and eye-consuming method I must admit and demands some experience.
There are many parameters you can look at, depending on what kind of experimental SCI you want to perform (hemisection, transection, contusion,...?), what time points you want to examine (acute, semiacute, chronic?) and so on. Do you want to examine the impact on the immune response of a pharmacological agent for example, then you should also take into account immune cells (macrophage-invasion and so on).
Maybe it would be helpful, if you could tell us what experimental SCI you want to perform and what time point/s you are looking at.
Greetings
Publication: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51635408_Significant_clinical_neuropathological_and_behavioural_recovery_from_acute_spinal_cord_trauma_by_transplantation_of_a_well-defined_somatic_stem_cell_from_human_umbilical_cord_blood
Article Significant clinical, neuropathological and behavioural reco...
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