This work aims to investigate the relationship neurological outcomes from a cervical contusion spinal cord injury model in rats with early MRI markers including edema, hemorrhage, and diffusion weighted imaging. A rat-specific MRI template was constructed from a histological atlas to permit inter-subject registration. Compared to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics, filtered-DWI diminished the confounding effects of vasogenic edema and improved depiction of the acute damage. Collectively, the registration pipeline facilitated analysis, and the results support the role of MRI in preclinical assessment of cervical SCI.
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