An update on spinal cord injury research

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can have a range of debilitating effects and permanently alter the capabilities and quality of life of survivors. In the clinic, the aim of SCI treatment is primarily to limit secondary damage by reducing compression in trauma spots and stabilizing the spinal column. In this review, we focus on research progress on the molecular mechanisms underlying SCI, and assess the treatment outcomes of SCI in animal models, i.e., neurotrophins and stem cells are discussed as pre-clinical therapies in animal models.

• 1
  Normally, the primary injury of the spinal cord is due to either contusion or compression.
• 2
  Vascular disturbances play important roles in secondary injury of the spinal cord, such as hemorrhage, ischemia and reperfusion-induced damage, microcirculatory disturbances, and systemic hypotension.
• 3
  NT-3, like BDNF, promotes the regeneration and overexpression of NT-3 in the rat spinal cord, which subsequently induces sprouting of corticospinal tract axons