Tracking Changes following Spinal Cord Injury: Insights from Neuroimaging

The Neuroscientist, 2012 · DOI: 10.1177/1073858412449192 · Published: April 1, 2012

Spinal Cord Injury Neuroimaging Neurology

Simple Explanation

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to anatomical and functional changes in both the spinal cord and the brain. Neuroimaging techniques, particularly MRI, offer a non-invasive way to track these changes and understand the relationship between neurological deficits, spinal cord alterations, and brain reorganization. This review summarizes findings from neuroimaging studies on remote anatomical changes, cortical reorganization, and their connection to clinical disability after SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

SCI patients and healthy controls

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Spinal cord atrophy, measured by a decline in cross-sectional area, correlates with the degree of clinical impairment and hand function in chronic SCI patients.
2
Remote changes in the brain, including white and gray matter volume loss in motor and sensory areas, can be detected using neuroimaging techniques like VBM and DTI.
3
Cortical reorganization, assessed by fMRI, is related to the severity of spinal cord damage and can influence motor and sensory function recovery.

Research Summary

Traumatic SCI induces anatomical and functional changes in both the spinal cord and brain. Neuroimaging can detect anatomical changes in the spinal cord, such as cyst formation and atrophy, and in the brain, including white and gray matter volume loss. Functional MRI studies show cortical reorganization in motor and sensory areas, which is related to the severity of spinal cord damage and clinical disability.

Practical Implications

Biomarker Identification

Neuroimaging markers can be used to track disease progression and monitor treatment-induced changes in SCI patients.

Treatment Strategies

Treatment strategies should target both the injured spinal cord and the brain to address associated cortical changes.

Rehabilitation Optimization

Understanding cortical reorganization can help optimize rehabilitation therapy to promote functional recovery.

Study Limitations

1
The onset and rate of atrophy in the acute phase of SCI are unknown.
2
Longitudinal fMRI studies are time-consuming and difficult to evaluate.
3
The relationship between the etiology of the lesion, lesion level, time after injury, and cord atrophy is unclear.

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