Longitudinal motor system changes from acute to chronic spinal cord injury

This study investigates how the spinal cord and brain change over five years after an acute spinal cord injury (SCI) using MRI. It looks at tissue damage, degeneration, and how these factors impact a patient's recovery. The research tracks the lesion's initial changes, subsequent neurodegeneration, and their impact on recovery by employing quantitative MRI sequences sensitive to volume, myelin, and iron changes. The study found that early changes in the spinal cord lesion, particularly the formation of tissue bridges, are associated with both the degeneration of other areas of the nervous system and the patient's long-term motor recovery.

• 1
  The size of the spinal cord lesion decreases significantly within the first month after injury, with tissue bridges becoming more defined.
• 2
  Cervical cord and corticospinal tract volumes transiently increase in SCI patients early after injury, followed by progressive atrophy over time.
• 3
  The extent of tissue bridges early after injury is associated with slower rates of volume loss in the spinal cord and corticospinal tract, as well as slower myelin decline over 5 years.