Institutional genetic stamp and development of international identity: bibliometric study of spinal cord research and protocols using cats en Cinvestav

A corpus of literature addressing the neurophysiology of the spinal cord and the cat as an experimental model are examined. An early research practice as product of genetic institutional imprinting. The objective is to analyze the body of literature as a scientific communication event, showing how each peer reviewed paper contributes to developing a sense of international identity in the Department of Physiology and Cinvestav. The formation of relationships and structures of scientific communication through quinquennial socio-technical networks and the weight of institutional contribution to the global literature on the subject are analyzed. The thematic association of the spinal cord, the cat as experimental model and P. Rudomín, as the most productive author, have remained stable in indexes for over 50 years. During this period, the association has developed patterns of institutional affiliation with regard to international systems of scientific communication, giving rise to the development of one of the most symbolic lines of research in genetic imprinting in the Cinvestav.