Spinal cord injury: overview of experimental approaches used to restore locomotor activity

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Spinal cord injury affects more than 2.5 million people worldwide and can lead to paraplegia and quadriplegia. Anatomical discontinuity in the spinal cord results in disruption of the impulse conduction that causes temporary or permanent changes in the cord’s normal functions. Although axonal regeneration is limited, damage to the spinal cord is often accompanied by spontaneous plasticity and axon regeneration that help improve sensory and motor skills. The recovery process depends mainly on synaptic plasticity in the preexisting circuits and on the formation of new pathways through collateral sprouting into neighboring denervated territories. However, spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury can go on for several years, and the degree of recovery is very limited. Therefore, the development of new approaches that could accelerate the gain of motor function is of high priority to patients with damaged spinal cord. Although there are no fully restorative treatments for spinal injury, various rehabilitative approaches have been tested in animal models and have reached clinical trials. In this paper, a closer look will be given at the potential therapies that could facilitate axonal regeneration and improve locomotor recovery after injury to the spinal cord. This article highlights the application of several interventions including locomotor training, molecular and cellular treatments, and spinal cord stimulation in the field of rehabilitation research. Studies investigating therapeutic approaches in both animal models and individuals with injured spinal cords will be presented.</jats:p>

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Regulation of Axon Regeneration by MicroRNAs after Spinal Cord Injury

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI), one of the most severe injuries, causes the death of many kinds of cells such as neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes, in which extensive loss of sensory and motor functions occurs below the injury site [1]. Two different mechanisms have been proposed for the pathogenesis of SCI: a primary mechanical injury and a secondary injury induced by multiple biological processes, including ongoing apoptosis, inflammation, excitotoxicity, and extensive demyelination of axons [1, 2].…”

“…Two different mechanisms have been proposed for the pathogenesis of SCI: a primary mechanical injury and a secondary injury induced by multiple biological processes, including ongoing apoptosis, inflammation, excitotoxicity, and extensive demyelination of axons [1, 2]. Prior studies have suggested that, unlike the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) has limited axon regeneration ability after SCI, predominantly due to the inability of neurons to regenerate axons through the inhibitory milieu of the glial scar and injured spinal cord lesion [3], which impede the functional recovery after trauma.…”

Ketogenic Diet-mediated Steroid Metabolism Reprogramming Improves the Immune Microenvironment and Myelin Growth of Spinal Cord Injury Rats Through Gene Analysis and Co-expression Network Analysis

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that can lead to neurological de cits and motor dysfunction [1][2]. The dysfunction of motor and sensory functions after SCI is caused by the following two processes: primary injury and secondary injury.…”

Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol-Mediated Inhibition of the mTOR Pathway in Spinal Cord Injury

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a high rate of morbidity and disability. Presently, more than 2.5 million people suffer from SCI, with annually reported new cases being about 12,000 in the United States [ 1 , 2 ]. SCI is classified into primary and secondary phases.…”