Spinal cord injury results in the severing of neurons, loss of motor functions, and complete or partial paralysis. There are 11,000 new patients annually suffering from a spinal cord injury. There is currently a lack of understanding of the cellular and molecular complexities in the response the host has to spinal cord injury. The goal of this study is to gain a greater understanding of the potential use of glial populations with defined in vitro characteristics towards treating spinal cord injury. The study will examine cortical radial glia and spinal cord glial precursors in their differentiation potential, ability to deliver growth factors, and the effects they have on the lesioned axonal populations with particular interests on the corticospinal tract. These corticospinal tracts will be examined because of its role in fine motor function. To examine these properties the glia populations will be transplanted into the contused spinal cord either native or genetically modified to express neurotrophins. We will determine whether these glial precursors transplants can encourage axonal regeneration and improve locomotor function.
| Herrera, Juan J; Haywood-Watson 2nd, Ricky J L; Grill, Raymond J (2010) Acute and chronic deficits in the urinary bladder after spinal contusion injury in the adult rat. J Neurotrauma 27:423-31 |
