Figure 1.

Schematic diagram of experimental design. Adult rats were used to measure a baseline for echocardiography (Echo), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and body weight (BW). At day 0, contusion SCI was induced, and the same measurements were taken at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks post-injury. Intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (IPITT) was performed only at the 20-week time point. For behavioral assessments, BBB tests were performed twice pre-injury and again at days 1, 4, 7, and then once weekly post-injury. Von Frey tests were performed once pre-injury and at days 12, 24, 35, 45, 56, 88, and 112 post-injury. At endpoint, animals were necropsied, and hearts were harvested for histological analyses.