Early CSF Biomarkers and Late Functional Outcomes in Spinal Cord Injury. A Pilot Study

This study investigates early biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after spinal cord injury (SCI) to predict later functional outcomes. Researchers analyzed 60 molecules in CSF collected within 24 hours of injury and correlated them with clinical scores at hospital discharge and changes in scores during the observation period. The study identified 10 molecules correlating with clinical scores at discharge and 5 correlating with changes in clinical scores. This suggests these molecules could potentially serve as predictors of recovery or indicators of treatment effectiveness. The findings propose a methodology for identifying biomarkers that can predict outcomes and assess treatment effectiveness in SCI, suggesting potential targets for disease-modifying therapies using a "bed-to-bench" approach.

• 1
  MIP-1β, MIP-1α, MCP-1, IL-9 and IL-18 were positively associated with neurological level at discharge.
• 2
  PDGF-AA, BDNF, t-TAU, and p-TAU positively correlated with light touch score at discharge, while IFN-α2, SCF, IL-13, and NSE showed negative correlations.
• 3
  Motor score at discharge was positively correlated with p-TAU, t-TAU, NCAM, PDGF-AA, Cathepsin-D and BDNF and negatively correlated with MCP-1, MIP-1α, IFN-α2, IL-15, IL-8, IL-9, IL-6 and TNF-α.