Accessing the Subdural Space of the Rodent Spinal Cord for Treatment Delivery

Treating spinal cord diseases or injuries is challenging, in part, due to difficulties in developing effective treatments that can be directly applied to the cord. Current treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI), for example, are primarily epidural. However, epidural therapies do not allow for direct interaction with the spinal cord, reducing the potential treatment effect. Here, a method is proposed for accessing the subdural space in a rodent model for a more direct effect of a given treatment. Using the protocol described, a successful subdural implantation of a bioelectronic device for spinal cord recording/stimulation, as well as safe insertion of a neurotrophin-3 loaded hydrogel, was performed. Animals exposed to this protocol in both applications showed no change in hindlimb or forelimb function following the procedure, and no dysfunction developed for up to 12 weeks post-procedure. While the examples presented here are highly specific, the proposed protocol can be used in a variety of applications to allow for more effective localized treatment of neurological disorders of the spinal cord.