Abstract:

Spinal cord injury: Thus far injury of the spinal cord is incurable and, in the majority of cases, a devastating and life-changing event. The worldwide incidence rate of spinal cord injury (SCI) ranges from 250,000 to 900,000 new cases per year. SCI outcome includes the damage of axons, demyelination of axons, loss of signal transduction, and consequential long-lasting motor and sensory deficits. Additionally, the non-use of muscles can lead to atrophy and joint contractures, thereby further reducing the possibility of recovery. Depending on the spinal level and the severity of the injury, the extent of the damage can vary and spontaneous recovery is possible to varying degrees. There is an enormous number and also a great variety of both experimental approaches and clinical trials for spinal cord trauma. Although the general pathomechanisms of primary and secondary traumatic injury events are known, the complicated multifactorial and multiphasic SCI outcomes have led to only little progress in the development of successful therapeutic treatments to achieve substantial degrees of axonal regeneration and consequently locomotor functional recovery – despite almost 40 years of extensive SCI research.