Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Attenuated tissue damage with Mechanical Tissue Resuscitation in a pig model of spinal cord injury.
Our previous studies on the treatment of spinal cord injuries with Mechanical Tissue Resuscitation (MTR) in rats have demonstrated that it can significantly improve the locomotor recovery and Basso Beattie Bresnahan scores. MTR treatment also reduced fluid accumulations by T2-imaging and improved the mean neural fiber number and fiber length in injured sites by fiber tractography. Myelin volume was also significantly preserved by MTR treatment. ⋯ The fractional anisotropy (FA) values processed by DTI analysis are increased from 0.203 ± 0.027 in the untreated group to 0.238 ± 0.029 in MTR treatment group (p < 0.05). Fiber tractography showings the mean fiber numbers across the impacted area were increased over 112% from 327.0 ± 99.74 in the non-treated group to 694.83 ± 297.86 in the MTR treated group (p < 0.05). These results indicate local application of MTR for 7 days to spinal cord injury in a swine model decreased tissue injury, reduced tissue edema, and preserved more myelin fibers as well as nerve fibers in the injured spinal cord.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Chemogenetic attenuation of acute nociceptive signaling enhances functional outcomes following spinal cord injury.
Identifying novel therapeutic approaches to promote recovery of neurological functions following spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a great unmet need. Nociceptive signaling in the acute phase of SCI has been shown to inhibit recovery of locomotor function and promote the development of chronic neuropathic pain. We therefore hypothesized that inhibition of nociceptive signaling in the acute phase of SCI might improve long-term functional outcomes in the chronic phase of injury. ⋯ However, treatment did not impact the development of cold allodynia or mechanical hyperalgesia. Histological assessments of spinal cord tissue suggested trends toward reduced lesion volume, increased neuronal sparing and increased CGRP+ axon sprouting in hM4Di-treated animals. Together, these findings suggest that nociceptor silencing early after SCI may promote beneficial plasticity in the acute phase of injury that can impact long-term functional outcomes, and support previous work highlighting primary nociceptors as possible therapeutic targets for pain management after SCI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Impact of activity-based training on bowel function in a rat model of spinal cord injury.
Significant bowel-related issues after spinal cord injury (SCI) that affect morbidity and quality of life (QOL) include diminished bowel motility, loss of sphincter control, gastric ulcers, autonomic dysreflexia, pain, diarrhea, constipation, and fecal incontinence. Clinical diagnoses and research in humans have largely relied on anorectal manometry (ARM) procedures to increase understanding of the functional effects of SCI on colorectal motility and defecation physiology. Recent pre-clinical rodent studies have also used ARM to further our understanding of bowel-related dysfunctions post-SCI. ⋯ The two intermittent training groups consistently showed recorded metrics comparable to the non-injured group. The results demonstrate bowel dysfunction in the rodent SCI contusion model with improvements in functional outcomes following ABT. Importantly, the benefits to bowel-related functions with versus without intermittent ABT illustrate the need for periodic therapy to maintain the functional gains of ABT.
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Journal of neurotrauma · May 2024
Protective Mechanism of Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth in Treating Spinal Cord Injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces devastating permanent deficits. Recently, cell transplantation therapy has become a notable treatment for SCI. Although stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are an attractive therapy, their precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. ⋯ The expression of neurocan was also significantly reduced by SHED injection on Day 10 after SCI. Our results show that SHED plays an important role in reducing astrogliosis and glial scar formation between Days 5 and 10 after SCI, possibly via apoptosis of astrocytes, ultimately resulting in improvement in neurological functions thereafter. Our data revealed one of the neuroprotective mechanisms of SHED at the subacute stage after SCI, which improved functional recovery after SCI, a serious condition.