SCI with Brain Injury: Bedside to Bench Modeling for Developing Treatment and Rehabilitation Strategies
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is frequently accompanied by traumatic brain injury (TBI), but evidence-based approaches for treatment of this dual-diagnosis are lacking. This project proposed using current clinical-practice evidence to guide development of an animal model to provide a new tool for studying the biological mechanisms involved, and to open new directions for therapeutics for combined injury. We initially established an animal model of dual injury that reflected an unexpected complexity of interactions between these injuries. The group then focused on building a clinical TBI+SCI patient database from San Francisco General Hospital, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and from the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, that detailed the acute and chronic stages of recovery after dual-injury. This required development of common data elements and methods for querying different types of patient records. We now have an overview of recovery and the medications given to the SCI+TBI patients. Interestingly, more medications are used in the dual-diagnosis patients than for each injury alone, resulting in altered recovery. These clinical data were used to guide hypothesis development for testing agents in the newly established model of SCI+TBI. The first agent tested, topiramate, confirmed our suspicion that drug effects differ with injury type, improving one and retarding the other. The project has resulted in a continuing community of practice and research and the animal model should continue to inform and be informed by the clinical enterprise.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA599471
Entities
People
- Geoffrey Manley
Organizations
- University of California, San Francisco