Current and future applications of transcriptomics for discovery in CNS disease and injury

The central nervous system (CNS) displays heterogeneity at regional, cellular and subcellular levels, making analysis of transcriptomic events accompanying neural injury particularly challenging. Microarray technology provides methods for elucidating global changes in neural gene expression and discovery of signalling pathways within this complex biological network. The lack of suitable and sufficient human CNS tissue along with its inherent variability means that diverse animal models of both multiple sclerosis and neurotrauma are vital for examining the pathophysiological changes accompanying neural injury resulting from disease or trauma. Gene expression profiling of these models is providing valuable information about mechanisms of damage, repair and regeneration and candidate treatments. In vitro models of neural injury are also proving useful, and transcriptomics is enhancing our understanding of the properties of neural stem cells with a view to their therapeutic application in neural repair. Thoughtful experimental design and analysis of microarray experiments is crucial for extracting biological meaning from the vast amount of data produced. In this review we discuss the current and emerging application of transcriptomics for the study of neural function in health, disease and injury.