Highly Sensitive Microstructure-Based Flexible Pressure Sensor for Quantitative Evaluation of Motor Function Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury

Behavioral assessment, such as systematic scoring or biomechanical measurement, is often used to evaluate the extent of the damage and the degree of recovery after spinal cord injury. However, the use of these methods in standardized evaluation is limited because they are subjective and require complex test systems to implement. Here, we report a novel, flexible, microstructure-based pressure sensor and demonstrate its superior sensitivity (235.12 kPa−1 for 5.5~135 Pa and 2.24 kPa−1 for 0.6~25 kPa), good waterproofness, fast response and recovery times (response time: 8 ms, recovery time: 12 ms), stable response over 8000 loading/unloading cycles, and wide sensing range. These features readily allow the sensor to be comfortably attached to the hindlimbs of mice for full-range, real-time detection of their behavior, such as crawling and swimming, helping to realize quantitative evaluation of animal motor function recovery after spinal cord injury

Biomaterials targeting the microenvironment for spinal cord injury repair: progression and perspectives

Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts nerve pathways and affects sensory, motor, and autonomic function. There is currently no effective treatment for SCI. SCI occurs within three temporal periods: acute, subacute, and chronic. In each period there are different alterations in the cells, inflammatory factors, and signaling pathways within the spinal cord. Many biomaterials have been investigated in the treatment of SCI, including hydrogels and fiber scaffolds, and some progress has been made in the treatment of SCI using multiple materials. However, there are limitations when using individual biomaterials in SCI treatment, and these limitations can be significantly improved by combining treatments with stem cells. In order to better understand SCI and to investigate new strategies for its treatment, several combination therapies that include materials combined with cells, drugs, cytokines, etc. are summarized in the current review