Longitudinal Analysis of Gut Microbiome Composition After Experimental Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Following an experimental C2 spinal cord hemisection in rats, there is a gradual spontaneous recovery of breathing function that can take place over time. Additionally, interventions at later time points are more effective after injury. What is not known is the mechanism mediating this observation. To begin to answer this question, we investigated the role of the gut microbiome after injury. Recent studies have emerged suggesting that the gut microbiome has critical implications on the proper functioning of the central nervous system (CNS). Indeed, gut dysbiosis, or a microbiome imbalance, can occur which can negatively impact the CNS. Neurotrauma, including spinal cord injury (SCI), can lead to acute gut dysbiosis and impaired recovery. It is our hypothesis that the composition of the gut microbiome is dynamic after injury with dysbiosis improving over time from an acute post‐SCI state. In this study, we build upon these initial studies and investigate the impact of cervical SCI on the gut microbiome over time and up to chronic timepoints. In order to test our hypothesis, we collected fecal samples before and up to 12 weeks after a C2 hemisection in adult female rats, in order to assess microbiome composition at various timepoints post injury. Preliminary results suggest that following cervical SCI, gut dysbiosis occurs immediately after injury but recovers by two months post injury. Future studies will classify bacterial identities and assess the impact of the post‐injury gut microbiome on recovery of respiratory motor function and plasticity.