Profiling Immunological Phenotypes in Individuals During the First Year After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Longitudinal Analysis

This study examines the immune system changes in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) during the first year after their injury. It looks at RNA, protein, and cell profiles in blood samples to understand how the immune system changes over time compared to uninjured individuals. The researchers found that there are significant differences in gene expression related to immune function between individuals with SCI and those without, particularly affecting natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, dendritic cells and T cells. The study also found that the severity of the spinal cord injury (whether it's a complete or incomplete motor injury) correlates with distinct gene expression profiles in the blood, indicating a persistent 'neurogenic' effect on the immune system.

• 1
  Reduced expression of NK cell genes was observed within the first 6 months post-injury, consistent with reduced frequencies of CD56bright and CD56dim NK cells at 12 months post-injury.
• 2
  Increased and prolonged expression of genes associated with inflammation (e.g. HMGB1, Toll-like receptor signaling) and expanded frequencies of monocytes were observed over the first 6 months post-injury.
• 3
  Distinct whole blood gene expression profiles reflecting neurological injury severity were identified, with 2876 differentially expressed genes between motor complete and incomplete SCI, including those related to neutrophils, inflammation, and infection.