Neurobiology of aging
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Neurobiology of aging · Mar 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialIs age a key determinant of mortality and neurological outcome after acute traumatic spinal cord injury?
Given the potential impact of age on mortality, neurological outcomes and the extent of post-traumatic neural degeneration, we examined these issues using a large, prospectively accrued clinical database (n=485) supplemented by analysis of postmortem spinal cord tissue (n=12) to compare axonal survival and white matter degeneration in younger versus elderly individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Elderly individuals (> or = 65 years) had significantly greater mortality rates than younger individuals at 30 days, at 6 months and at 1 year following SCI (46.88% versus 4.86%, respectively; p<0.0001). ⋯ Correspondingly, neuroanatomical analysis of postmortem spinal cord tissue revealed no significant age-related differences for extent of myelin degeneration or number of intact axons within sensory, motor and autonomic spinal cord tracts post-SCI. Treatment protocols for SCI need to identify preventable predictors of mortality in the elderly post-SCI, recognizing that the potential for neurological recovery among elderly survivors of SCI is similar to that of younger individuals.