Publications by authors named "Alexander Stefanov"
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to significant sublesional bone loss and high fracture rates. While loss of mechanical loading plays a significant role in SCI-induced bone loss, animal studies have demonstrated mechanical loading alone does not fully account for loss of bone following SCI. Indeed, we have shown that bone loss occurs below the level of an incomplete moderate contusion SCI, despite the resumption of weight-bearing and stepping.
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- Withdrawal from chronic opioid use leads to low dopamine levels and negative feelings, which can trigger relapse.
- Activation of μ-opioid receptors (MORs) in certain brain neurons initially suppresses inhibitory signals, but withdrawal actually enhances these signals.
- Alterations in GABA transmission due to chronic fentanyl use may create a dysfunctional brain state, contributing to anxiety and withdrawal symptoms, which could lead to relapse.
Opioids are among the most effective analgesics for the management of pain in the acute phase of a spinal cord injury (SCI), and approximately 80% of patients are treated with morphine in the first 24 h following SCI. We have found that morphine treatment in the first 7 days after SCI increases symptoms of pain at 42 days post-injury and undermines the recovery of locomotor function in a rodent model. Prior research has implicated microglia/macrophages in opioid-induced hyperalgesia and the development of neuropathic pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpinal cord injury (SCI) results in significant loss of sublesional bone, adding to the comorbidity of SCI with an increased risk of fracture and post-fracture complications. Unfortunately, the effect of SCI on skeletal health is also likely to rise, as the average age of SCI has increased and there are well-known negative effects of age on bone. To date, however, the impact of age and age-associated inflammation (inflammaging) on skeletal health after SCI remains largely unknown.
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- Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in pain that is often treated with opioids like morphine, but this can impair long-term recovery of movement.
- Research using rodents shows that activation of kappa opioid receptors (KORs) contributes to this negative effect, and blocking KORs with norbinaltorphimine (norBNI) can help mitigate these issues.
- In experiments with repeated intravenous morphine administration, blocking KOR activation prevented the morphine-induced decline in locomotor recovery and reduced lesion size, suggesting a potential strategy for effective pain relief without hindering recovery post-SCI.