Prevalence of discomplete sensorimotor spinal cord injury as evidenced by neurophysiological methods: A cross-sectional study.

J Rehabil Med

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Division of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Community Medicine, Linköping, Sweden. E-mail:

Published: February 2021

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of residual trans-lesion connectivity in persons with chronic clinically complete spinal cord injury (discompleteness) by neurophysiological methods.

Participants: A total of 23 adults with chronic sensorimotor complete spinal cord injury, identified through regional registries the regional spinal cord registry of Östergötland, Sweden.

Methods: Diagnosis of clinically complete spinal cord injury was verified by standardized neurological examination. Then, a neurophysiological examination was performed, comprising electroneurography, electromyography, sympathetic skin response and evoked potentials (sensory, laser and motor). Based on this assessment, a composite outcome measure, indicating either strong, possible or no evidence of discomplete spinal cord injury, was formed.

Results: Strong neurophysiological evidence of discomplete spinal cord injury was found in 17% (4/23) of participants. If also accepting "possible evidence", the discomplete group comprised 39% (9/23). The remaining 61% showed no neurophysiological evidence of discompleteness. However, if also counting reports of subjective sensation elicited during neurophysiological testing in the absence of objective findings, 52% (12/23) showed indication of discomplete spinal cord injury.

Conclusion: Evidence of discomplete spinal cord injury can be demonstrated using standard neurophysiological techniques in a substantial subset of individuals with clinically complete spinal cord injury. This study adds to the evidence base indicating the potential of various modes of cross-lesional sensorimotor functional restoration in some cases of chronic clinically complete spinal cord injury.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8814834PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2774DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

spinal cord
44
cord injury
36
complete spinal
20
clinically complete
16
discomplete spinal
16
evidence discomplete
12
spinal
11
cord
11
injury
9
chronic clinically
8

Similar Publications

Evaluation of transcriptomic changes after photobiomodulation in spinal cord injury.

Sci Rep

January 2025

Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant cause of lifelong disability, with no available disease-modifying treatments to promote neuroprotection and axon regeneration after injury. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a promising therapy which has proven effective at restoring lost function after SCI in pre-clinical models. However, the precise mechanism of action is yet to be determined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microstructural white matter injury contributes to cognitive decline: Besides amyloid and tau.

J Prev Alzheimers Dis

February 2025

Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China. Electronic address:

Background: Cognitive decline and the progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are traditionally associated with amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau pathologies. This study aims to evaluate the relationships between microstructural white matter injury, cognitive decline and AD core biomarkers.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 566 participants using peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) to quantify microstructural white matter injury.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The associations of early-onset coronary heart disease (CHD) and genetic susceptibility with incident dementia and brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH) remain unclear. Elucidation of this problem could promote understanding of the neurocognitive impact of early-onset CHD and provide suggestions for the prevention of dementia.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether observed and genetically predicted early-onset CHD were related to subsequent dementia and WMH volume.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) like hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus are increasingly linked to cognitive decline and dementia, especially in cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are closely associated with cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms behind their development remain unclear. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may be a key factor, particularly in cSVD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The population in the U.S., and across the world is aging rapidly which warrants an assessment of the safety of surgical approaches in elderly individuals to better risk stratify and inform surgeons' decision making for optimal patient care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!