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Brain changes after spinal cord injury, a quantitative meta-analysis and review
Linda Solstrand Dahlberg1, Lino Becerra2, David Borsook2
1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|April 28, 2018
Summary
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) alter brain structure and function. Neuroimaging reveals significant changes in motor cortex, cerebellum, and parietal lobes, impacting patients
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
Background:
- Spinal cord injuries (SCI) cause direct nerve damage, leading to secondary effects and long-term consequences like paralysis and neuropathic pain.
- These effects manifest as significant alterations in brain structure and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neuroimaging studies in traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.
- To perform a quantitative meta-analysis of motor and motor imagery studies.
- To summarize structural changes, cortical reorganization, white matter diffusion, and thalamic metabolite alterations.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuroimaging studies on traumatic spinal cord injuries.
- Quantitative meta-analysis of motor and motor imagery studies.
- Summarization of structural, diffusion, and spectroscopy studies.
Main Results:
- Meta-analysis revealed significantly altered motor cortex, cerebellar, and parietal lobe regions.
- Qualitative reports consistently showed alterations in somatosensory brain structure and white matter diffusion.
- Evidence of cortical reorganization and changes in thalamic metabolites was observed.
Conclusions:
- Neuroimaging studies demonstrate widespread brain changes following spinal cord injury.
- Further research with larger samples and standardized protocols is needed to understand short- and long-term brain alterations.
- This data can inform clinical trials, treatment outcomes, and guide novel interventions for SCI patients.
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