Neurogenic Aging After Spinal Cord Injury: Highlighting the Unique Characteristics of Aging After Spinal Cord Injury.

Emanating from several decades of study into the effects of the aging process after spinal cord injury (SCI), "accelerated aging" has become a common expression as the SCI accelerates the onset of age-related pathologies. However, the aging process follows a distinct trajectory, characterized by unique patterns of decline that differ from those observed in the general population without SCI. Aging brings significant changes to muscles, bones, and hormones, impacting overall physical function.

Genetic Downregulation of GABA Receptors from Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells Protects Against Demyelination in the Mouse Spinal Cord.

GABAergic signaling and GABA receptors play crucial roles in regulating the physiology of oligodendrocyte-lineage cells, including their proliferation, differentiation, and myelination. Therefore, they are promising targets for studying how spinal oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) respond to injuries and neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis. Taking advantage of the temporally controlled and cell-specific genetic downregulation of GABA receptors from OPCs, our investigation addresses their specific influence on OPC behavior in the gray and white matter of the mouse spinal cord.

Astrocytic mitochondrial transfer to brain endothelial cells and pericytes increases with aging.

Intercellular mitochondrial transfer (IMT) is an intriguing biological phenomenon where mitochondria are transferred between different cells and notably, cell types. IMT is physiological, occurring in normal conditions, but also is utilized to deliver healthy mitochondria to cells in distress. Transferred mitochondria can be integrated to improve cellular metabolism, and mitochondrial function.

Mobility Medicine: A call to unify hyper-fragmented specialties by abstracts sent to 2025Pdm3, and typescripts to Ejtm3, and .

Mega scientific conferences increasingly suffer from the need for short and poster presentations without discussion. An alternative is to organize workshops in hotels large enough to accommodate all participants. This significantly increases the opportunities for constructive discussion during breakfasts, lunches, dinners and long evenings that can bring together experts of scientific and clinical sub-specialties and young fellows.

Reliability of cushion construction for a low-cost pressure-reducing wheelchair cushion for less-resourced settings.

In less-resourced settings, 80% of people with spinal cord injuries die from pressure ulcer complications within two years. Appropriately constructed wheelchair cushions are effective in reducing incidence and severity of pressure ulcers. The Tuball is an inexpensive wheelchair cushion designed for users in less-resourced settings, which can be reproduced by local clinicians using locally sourced materials.

Trabecular Bone Score in Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To describe lumbar spine (LS) trabecular bone score (TBS) values after SCI, and to explore the differences in fractures risk assessment between FRAX® and TBS-adjusted FRAX® in individuals living with chronic SCI.

Methods: Baseline dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans from an established cohort were acquired using a Hologic Discovery QDR 4500. TBS measurements were performed using the TBS iNsight software version 2.

Global, regional, and national burden of spinal cord injury from 1990 to 2021 and projections for 2050: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study.

Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to significant functional impairments and mortality, yet outdated epidemiological data hinder effective public health policies. This study utilizes the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) to analyze SCI trends and inform prevention strategies.

Methods: Using GBD 2021 data, we examined age-standardized incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) of SCI, along with trends, driving factors, age-sex-time patterns, and projections up to 2050.

The Role of Cardiolipin in Brain Bioenergetics, Neuroinflammation, and Neurodegeneration.

Cardiolipin (CL) is an essential phospholipid that supports the functions of mitochondrial membrane transporters and oxidative phosphorylation complexes. Due to the high level of fatty acyl chain unsaturation, CL is prone to peroxidation during aging, neurodegenerative disease, stroke, and traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. Therefore, effective therapies that stabilize and preserve CL levels or enhance healthy CL fatty acyl chain remodeling are needed.

Resveratrol Enhances the Efficacy of Combined BM-MSCs Therapy for Rat Spinal Cord Injury via Modulation of the Sirt-1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) represents a severe trauma to the central nervous system, resulting in significant disability and imposing heavy burdens on families and society. Pathophysiological changes following SCI often trigger secondary injuries that complicate treatment. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have become a focal point of research due to their multifunctionality and self-renewal capabilities; however, their survival and neuroprotective functions are compromised in inflammatory environments.

Implantable and transcutaneous photobiomodulation promote neuroregeneration and recovery of lost function after spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a cause of profound and irreversible damage, with no effective therapy to promote functional recovery. Photobiomodulation (PBM) may provide a viable therapeutic approach using red or near-infrared light to promote recovery after SCI by mitigating neuroinflammation and preventing neuronal apoptosis. Our current study aimed to optimize PBM dose regimens and develop and validate the efficacy of an invasive PBM delivery paradigm for SCI.

Variable bioenergetic sensitivity of neurons and astrocytes to insulin and extracellular glucose.

Energy flow within cellular elements of the brain is a well-orchestrated, tightly regulated process, however, details underlying these functions at the single-cell level are still poorly understood. Studying hypometabolism in aging and neurodegenerative diseases may benefit from experimentation on unicellular bioenergetics. Here, we examined energy status in neurons and astrocytes using mixed hippocampal cultures and PercevalHR, an ATP:ADP nanosensor.

p53/HIF-1α regulates neuronal aging and autophagy in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Objection: Spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced hindlimb dysfunction affects the physical and mental health of patients. There is growing evidence suggesting that the recovery capacity of elderly SCI patients is poorer than that of young individuals. However, the specific molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

scRNA-Seq reveals age-dependent microglial evolution as a determinant of immune response following spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition of the central nervous system (CNS) that leads to severe impairments in sensory and motor functions. Previous studies have pointed out that patient age is a critical factor influencing SCI prognosis. However, the role of microglia in age-related differences in SCI outcomes remains unclear.

Exploring and prioritizing content to include in a medication self-management toolkit for persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction: A concept mapping approach.

Background: Adults with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) face challenges with medications they take to manage their secondary conditions (e.g., pain, urinary tract infections, autonomic dysreflexia).

Senolytic treatment diminishes microglia and decreases severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Background: The role of senescence in disease contexts is complex, however there is considerable evidence that depletion of senescent cells improves outcomes in a variety of contexts particularly related to aging, cognition, and neurodegeneration. Much research has shown previously that inflammation can promote cellular senescence. Microglia are a central nervous system innate immune cell that undergo senescence with aging and during neurodegeneration.

Traumatic Central Cord Syndrome.

Central cord syndrome (CCS) is the most common form of incomplete spinal cord injury, with an increasing incidence with the aging population. This is a clinical diagnosis defined by weakness greater in the upper than lower extremities and often prominent sensory complaints in the hands. CCS is typically seen in individuals with underlying cervical canal stenosis from spondylosis who experience sudden forceful movement of the neck, especially hyperextension, resulting in contusion of the spinal cord.

Bedside Neuromodulation of Persistent Pain and Allodynia with Caloric Vestibular Stimulation.

Background: Caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) is a well-established neurological diagnostic technique that also induces many phenomenological modulations, including reductions in phantom limb pain (PLP), spinal cord injury pain (SCIP), and central post-stroke pain.

Objective: We aimed to assess in a variety of persistent pain (PP) conditions (i) short-term pain modulation by CVS relative to a forehead ice pack cold-arousal control procedure and (ii) the duration and repeatability of CVS modulations. The tolerability of CVS was also assessed and has been reported separately.

Oxidative stress alters mitochondrial homeostasis in isolated brain capillaries.

Background: Neurovascular deficits and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction are major hallmarks of brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress is a prominent contributor to neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction and can propagate BBB disruption. Oxidative damage results in an imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis, which can further drive functional impairment of brain capillaries.