Neuroprotection and secondary damage following spinal cord injury: concepts and methods

Brett J Hilton; Aaron J Moulson; Wolfram Tetzlaff

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.004

Neuroprotection and secondary damage following spinal cord injury: concepts and methods

Neurosci Lett. 2017 Jun 23:652:3-10. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.004. Epub 2016 Dec 6.

Authors

Brett J Hilton¹, Aaron J Moulson¹, Wolfram Tetzlaff²

Affiliations

¹ International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
² International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Electronic address: tetzlaff@icord.org.

PMID: 27939975
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.004

Abstract

Neuroprotection refers to the attenuation of pathophysiological processes triggered by acute injury to minimize secondary damage. The development of neuroprotective treatments represents a major goal in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) research. In this review, we discuss the strengths and limitations of the methodologies employed to assess secondary damage and neuroprotection in preclinical models of traumatic SCI. We also discuss modelling issues and how new tools might be exploited to study secondary damage and neuroprotection.

Keywords: CNS injury; Neuroprotection; Secondary damage; Spinal cord injury.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Action Potentials
Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Neurons / pathology
Neuroprotection*
Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use*
Spinal Cord Injuries / diagnosis
Spinal Cord Injuries / drug therapy*
Spinal Cord Injuries / pathology
Spinal Cord Injuries / physiopathology

Substances

Neuroprotective Agents