Biomarkers of Spontaneous Recovery from Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Immediately after SCI, a person confronts 3 major questions: (1) how much function have they lost, (2) what treatments promote recovery, (3) how much physical recovery can they expect over time? To answer the first question, a clinical exam tests motor and sensory function throughout the body. The second question is still largely unanswered: standard rehabilitation focuses on maximizing preserved function and managing medical complications of living with SCI. Currently, there is no FDA-approved drug to promote recovery after SCI. The third question is also unanswered; there is no standardized model to predict functional recovery, which occurs mostly within the first year after SCI. Surprisingly little is known about the biological processes influencing recovery after SCI. Experiments indicate that inflammation worsens the initial area of damage and inhibits physical recovery. Signs of inflammation occur in people newly injured and in people living with SCI for many years. Our hypothesis is that some inflammatory factors are higher in individuals with SCI that achieve less physical recovery. We are performing a prospective, longitudinal study to measure circulating biochemical responses and functional recovery throughout the 1st year after SCI, within the same individuals. Data will be used to derive a predictive, multiscale model of functional recovery after SCI. The goal is to build an easy-to-implement, predictive model of functional recovery after SCI that incorporates biomarkers related to inflammation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1034584
Entities
People
- Ona Bloom
Organizations
- The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research