Abstract: ObjectiveTo explore the time of chronic spinal cord injury and to determine the time and spatial distribution of glial scar after completely transected rat spinal cord injury. Methods24 adult female Wistar rats were completely transected spinal cord. The responses of activated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), NG2 and the length of the cavity on the 1st, 3rd, 7th day, 2nd week, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3.5th month after operation were examined with histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. ResultsThe length of the cavity and the expression of GFAP begun to be stable at the 2nd month post injury, and were fully stable at 3rd month. The expression of NG2 begun to be stable at the 1st month post injury, and fully stable at 3rd month. ConclusionThe injury begun to stabilize at 1st month post injury, and fully stabilized at 3rd month.

Key words: spinal cord injury, astrocyte, glial scar, cavity, NG2