Amelioration of motor skills was also reported when 17β-estradiol pellets were implanted subcutaneously to male rats sustaining a cervical hemicontusion injury (Siriphorn et al., 2012). The pellets slowly release 17β-estradiol within the course of 21 days and sustain high 17β-estradiol blood levels. As early as 2 weeks post-injury, 17β- estradiol-treated injured rats performed significantly better than vehicle-treated injured rats in skilled forelimb function, assessed by themodified vermicelli handling test (Allred et al., 2008). Amelioration of skilled locomotor function occurred at 7 weeks post-injury. Histological analyses revealed a significantly higher preservation of white matter in 17β-estradiol treated rats.