Having in-depth knowledge about the spinal cord’s structural and functional anatomy is paramount for researchers to better understand neuropathic pain. This is because neuropathic pain arises from maladaptive changes within specific neural circuits, and without a precise anatomical framework it becomes difficult to identify which pathways are altered, how sensory information is misprocessed, and where therapeutic interventions might be targeted. However, existing resources such as anatomical guides usually lack comprehensive three dimensional insights into the spinal cord anatomy, limiting one’s ability to mentally visualize the spatial relationship between the spinal cord’s structures such as the patterns of primary afferent terminations, and understand their functions. To address such a limitation, a web-based interactive 3D atlas of the mouse spinal cord was developed, building upon histological data of a novel triple transgenic mouse line from the Weir Lab at the University of Glasgow. This application aimed to offer a novel spatial visualization paradigm to researchers investigating neuropathic pain. This application provided a comprehensive overview of spinal cord anatomy and sensory input patterns after spared nerve injury, a mapping of the primary afferent terminations from two commonly studied branches of the sciatic nerve: the tibial and the common peroneal nerves; while facilitating an innovative and interactive exploratory approach of the spinal cord anatomy.

This chapter presents a detailed methodological approach for the design and development of such applications. It describes the use of specialized software packages for image processing, segmentation and rendering, 3D modelling and digital sculpting, and interactive visualization development to complete anatomically the accurate digital reconstruction of a mouse’s spinal cord anatomy using histological images as source data, in the form of interactive 3D models. Additionally, a standardized approach to usability testing was adopted using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Usability testing involved 13 neuroscience researchers and yielded a high usability score (SUS = 92.1/100), suggesting intuitive use, and high user satisfaction. Additional participants’ comments highlighted the tool’s potential to enhance spatial understanding of neuropathic pain mechanisms.

This research is pioneering the development of intuitive and interactive anatomical resources able to offer valuable insights into the spinal cord’s structural and functional anatomy, to help neuroscience researchers further explore and understand neuropathic pain. The developed application shows potential to bridge the information gaps of current anatomical resources and help researchers engage in reflective exploration of anatomical structures. Future research endeavors should focus on incorporating additional spinal regions building upon more digital reconstructions from histological datasets, for broader applicability, refining user interface features to improve the user experience, and undertaking further evaluation to validate the application.