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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Identifying Microglia and Peripheral Infiltrating Macrophages in the Injured Spinal Cords Using Flow Cytometry
Published on: June 24, 2025
Inflammatory and apoptotic signaling after spinal cord injury
Robert W Keane1, Angela R Davis, W Dalton Dietrich
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA. rkeane@miami.edu
Abstract:
Central nervous system (CNS) destruction in spinal cord injury (SCI) is caused by a complex series of cellular and molecular events. Recent studies have concentrated on signaling by receptors in the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily that mediate diverse biological outcomes ranging from inflammation to apoptosis. From the perspective of basic science research, understanding how receptor signaling mediates these divergent responses is critical in clarifying events underlying irreversible cell injury in clinically relevant models of SCI. From a clinical perspective, this work also provides novel targets for the development of therapeutic agents that have the potential to protect the spinal cord from irreversible damage and promote functional recovery. In this review, we discuss how the formation of alternate signaling complexes and receptor membrane localization after SCI can influence life and death decisions of cells stimulated through two members of the TNFR superfamily, Fas/CD95 and TNFR1.
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