Advances in Research on Spinal Cord Injury
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2021) | Viewed by 26417
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Calpain; inflammation; demyelination; neurodegeneration; multiple sclerosis; optic neuritis; Parkinsonson’s disease; spinal cord injury
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating of all traumatic events, resulting in a loss or impairment of function causing reduced mobility or sensation. While the primary injury results from external mechanical forces at the injury site leading to irreversible necrotic cell death and tissue destruction, devastating secondary injury processes continue to cause damage to tissue below the lesion. The secondary injury involves multiple cellular and molecular events such as ischemia, edema, excitotoxicity, inflammation, electrolyte imbalance, free radical damage, increased proteinases and lipases, and apoptosis. Blood vessel disruption due to the initial primary injury may also lead to edema and ischemia, triggering a secondary injury cascade that causes further damage to axons and contributes to neuronal death, which may be preventable with early intervention. Interestingly, recent discoveries have shown some promising results on the induction of neuroprotection and recovery of function in animal models of SCI that may be targeted for novel therapies. Neurological deficits in SCI are visible following neuronal and myelinated axonal degeneration in people with SCI, who often experience loss of bladder function, motor impairment, and paralysis. Thus, it is apparent that the neuroplasticity of spinal circuitry underlies some functional recovery which represents a therapeutic target to improve locomotor function after SCI. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating neuroplasticity below the lesion level are not clearly understood, although some studies have focused on the mechanisms causing paralysis after SCI. Among the treatment possibilities discussed are cell transplantation strategies, including the use of fetal spinal cord tissue, remyelination in SCI models, and high-dose steroid therapy immediately after SCI. However, no single effective pharmacotherapeutic agent has been available to attenuate these destructive processes to improve function. Although advances have been made toward understanding the complex molecular mechanisms involved in SCI, a number of agents (methylprednisolone, gacyclidine, etc.) used off-label have been found ineffective for the treatment of SCI. Many therapeutic strategies have also been proposed to overcome neurodegenerative events and attenuate secondary neuronal damage. Despite the recent advances made in SCI research, much remains to be learned to ameliorate dysfunction and disability caused by SCI. This Special Issue is focused on “Advances in Research on Spinal Cord Injury”, with the goal of evaluating the role of cellular and molecular bases in the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury. The scope of this Issue also includes molecular mechanisms of neuroprotection in SCI and summarizes recent findings on the therapeutic and translational potential of pharmacological agents in SCI.
Prof. Dr. Naren L. Banik
Dr. Azizul Haque
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- spinal cord injury
- gliosis
- neurodegeneration
- axonal damage
- paralysis
- regeneration
- neuroprotection
- locomotor function
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
