YPIE Scientist: Giovanna Leiva

Research: The Role of a Personalized Enriched Environment on Spinal Cord Injury Recovery in Mice

Awards: Somers 2024 - 3rd Place in Medicine & Health

Abstract:

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are caused by a traumatic injury that bruises or tears the spinal cord. Every year, between 250,000 and 500,000 people around the world suffer from

SCIs. It is a common cause of permanent disability and death in children and adults, but it primarily affects young adults, where most injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30. Neuropathic pain and motor dysfunction are common difficulties that follow SCIs, preventing easy recovery. They require a range of therapeutic procedures to be able to treat the various motor and sensory disabilities caused by an SCI. Thus, scientists and researchers have discovered environmental enrichment (EE), a method of stimulating an animal's brain through its physical and social surroundings. Exposure to a stimulating environment prior to an injury increases specific nerve cell activity, which results in an improved recovery. However, there is still a gap in the research on spinal cord recovery through environmental enrichment, particularly regarding the benefits of personalized approaches tailored to the specific needs of each organism. The intended methods include conducting a pre-assessment on the mice to identify any limitations caused by SCIs and to evaluate their personality traits. Based on this data, the mice are then assigned to either a standard, normal environment or a personalized environment, which is determined by their preferences found through trials involving three different categories of enrichment. Previous research articles developed various methods, including placing adult mice into EE or standard housing (SH) for 1, 3, 6, 10, and 35 days, placing mice in EE with an immobilized wheel, or in SH with a running wheel for 10 days, and lastly, locating mice in SH after EE. To be clear, this method means mice are put into EE for 10 days and then put into SH for 5 weeks. Results conclude that mice who received personalized enrichment showed better recovery outcomes than those in standard or non-personalized environments. Most results are consistent for different SCI tests, including Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB), Locomotor, Basso Mouse Scale (BMS), the grid walk and the ladder climb. The goal of this study is to show how personalized enrichment based on housing, social interaction, and individual preference can improve recovery and well-being in mice with spinal cord injuries.

About this Scientist:   

Giovanna Leiva is a junior at Yonkers High School who is currently working for her IB Diploma as a DP student. She plans to study Psychology and Molecular Biology during college and pursue her dream to attend medical school to get her MD in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She is dedicated to helping children with mental illnesses and disorders receive the care and support they need and deserve.

Presentation Slides