The Role of Physical Movement in Spinal Cord Repair Using an Adult Zebrafish Model
| dc.contributor.author | David, Gabrielle | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Xing, Lei (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Stacey, Joy (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Lindsey, Ben | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Jeffries, Ken | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-13T19:51:37Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-13T19:51:37Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-03 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-05-13T19:51:37Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | |
| dc.degree.level | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating medical condition that can lead to lifelong paralysis. Failure to regain mobility and restore neurons can be attributed to the non-permissive microenvironment within the mammalian spinal cord that is characterized by prolonged inflammation and glial scarring. Unlike mammals, the zebrafish has a remarkable ability to regenerate neurons in the spinal cord following a complete transection. Aside from the activation of chemical pathways that promote growth, zebrafish also have ependymoglial (stem) cells surrounding the central canal that can proliferate and differentiate into all cell types of the spinal cord. Previous studies have investigated factors that promote neuronal regeneration, yet the contribution of locomotion remains unevaluated. Thus, we aimed to explore the role of physical movement in spinal cord repair by developing a swim column that elicited swimming activity (exercise treatment) from injured fish. This apparatus was developed using an aquarium pump to direct flow into a PVC tube placed within an acrylic tank. Adult male zebrafish from motor neuron reporter line, Tg(hb9:eGFP), were used. Results showed that the exercise treatment slowed the rate of recovery and diminished normal swimming behaviour. Downstream analysis of distance travelled, mean velocity, and mobility state duration revealed that SCI fish treated with exercise had delayed recovery compared to SCI fish that were untreated. Contrary to previous studies using mammalian models, we found that functional mobility was hindered, and swim restoration was limited. Furthermore, our findings contrast other zebrafish exercise studies that demonstrated increased neurogenesis in larvae, and attenuation of age-related diseases such as sarcopenia and cardiac failure. These contradictions may be attributed to sample size, experimental timeline, treatment duration, and stress levels. Although the current study did not yield statistically significant results, these preliminary findings lay the groundwork for deeper exploration of movement in regenerative models | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/39079 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | spinal cord injury | |
| dc.subject | zebrafish model | |
| dc.subject | neuron regeneration | |
| dc.subject | locomotion | |
| dc.title | The Role of Physical Movement in Spinal Cord Repair Using an Adult Zebrafish Model | |
| local.author.affiliation | Faculty of Science::Department of Biological Sciences |