Abstract:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating trauma that currently affects 54 people out of every million, which is approximately 270,000 people in the United States (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 2013). The effects of such an injury can cause a loss of both motor and sensory function below the injury site, normally leaving the patient unable to care for themselves entirely and relying on family and friends to provide personal care. Currently there are no definitive cures to a SCI; however, several potential treatments are currently being researched. One potential treatment would be the use of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a growth factor that affects both neurons and astrocytes, which are support cells that protect neurons and maintain homeostasis. This has been shown to decrease lesion size, reduce allodynia, and regenerate axons in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).