STUDY DESIGN: Literature survey. OBJECTIVES: To summarize and discuss current possibilities and success rates for the treatment of spinal cord injury in animal models. SETTINGS: University of Antwerp, Belgium. METHODS: We searched Pubmed for publications from 1997 onwards. Seven older papers were used for completion of data. RESULTS: Despite major progress in pharmacological and surgical approaches, a spinal cord injury still remains a very complex medical and psychological challenge, both for the patients and their relatives, as well as for the involved physicians, with currently no existing curative therapy. For a future efficient treatment, one has to consider and combine four main approaches: (1) tissue or cell transplantation, (2) providing growth-stimulating factors (neurotrophic factors), (3) blocking factors which inhibit neural regeneration and (4) modulation of inflammatory response following spinal cord injury. CONCLUSIONS: Although different treatment options have proven to be successful in animal models, they also provide a realistic view on a complex therapeutical approach, which needs to be further investigated in many carefully designed animal studies before human applications can be considered.
STUDY DESIGN: Literature survey. OBJECTIVES: To summarize and discuss current possibilities and success rates for the treatment of spinal cord injury in animal models. SETTINGS: University of Antwerp, Belgium. METHODS: We searched Pubmed for publications from 1997 onwards. Seven older papers were used for completion of data. RESULTS: Despite major progress in pharmacological and surgical approaches, a spinal cord injury still remains a very complex medical and psychological challenge, both for the patients and their relatives, as well as for the involved physicians, with currently no existing curative therapy. For a future efficient treatment, one has to consider and combine four main approaches: (1) tissue or cell transplantation, (2) providing growth-stimulating factors (neurotrophic factors), (3) blocking factors which inhibit neural regeneration and (4) modulation of inflammatory response following spinal cord injury. CONCLUSIONS: Although different treatment options have proven to be successful in animal models, they also provide a realistic view on a complex therapeutical approach, which needs to be further investigated in many carefully designed animal studies before human applications can be considered.
Authors: Robert M Grumbles; Vania W Almeida; Gizelda T B Casella; Patrick M Wood; Kamondanai Hemstapat; Christine K Thomas Journal: J Neuropathol Exp Neurol Date: 2012-10 Impact factor: 3.685
Authors: Peter Wayne New; Sara J T Guilcher; Susan B Jaglal; Fin Biering-Sørensen; Vanessa K Noonan; Chester Ho Journal: Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil Date: 2017
Authors: Ramona E von Leden; Kasey E Moritz; Sara Bermudez; Shalini Jaiswal; Colin M Wilson; Bernard J Dardzinski; Kimberly R Byrnes Journal: Neurosci Lett Date: 2018-10-06 Impact factor: 3.046