Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
08:29
Biomarkers in an Animal Model for Revealing Neural, Hematologic, and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD
Published on: October 10, 2012
Psychological Distress and Biological Stress Markers After Spinal Cord Injury: A Longitudinal Multi-Omics Pilot Study
Simona Capossela1, Alessandro Bertolo1,2, Alexander Stacul1
1SCI Population Biobanking and Translational Research, Swiss Paraplegic Research, 6207 Nottwil, Switzerland.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|August 13, 2026
Summary
This pilot study found that psychological distress and inflammation markers decreased after spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Integrating psychological and molecular data offers insights into biological responses post-injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Genetics
Background:
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) significantly impacts psychological well-being and physiological markers.
- Understanding the interplay between psychological distress and biological changes post-SCI is crucial for rehabilitation.
- Longitudinal data on stress, inflammation, and aging biomarkers after SCI are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine longitudinal changes in psychological distress and biomarkers following the first inpatient rehabilitation after SCI.
- To explore the relationship between distinct psychological distress patterns and molecular profiles.
- To assess the feasibility of integrating psychological and molecular data in SCI research.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 120 participants from the SwiSCI inception cohort at rehabilitation admission and discharge.
- Biomarker analysis in 50 participants, including immune/inflammatory proteins and whole-blood transcriptomics.
- Assessment of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, cortisol, telomere length, and proteomic/transcriptomic profiles.
Main Results:
- Significant decreases in psychological distress, depression, and protein carbonyl content by discharge.
- No significant changes observed in cortisol levels or telomere length.
- Downregulation of inflammatory proteins (e.g., IFN-γ, IL-10, LIF) at discharge; no significant transcriptomic differences between timepoints.
- The high chronic distress group exhibited lower expression of genes related to immunity, neural development, and apoptosis.
- Psychological distress was not linearly associated with global biomarker profiles, though specific correlations were noted (e.g., CXCL1 with depression, IL-7 with anxiety).
Conclusions:
- This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating psychological and molecular data to investigate biological responses post-SCI.
- Findings suggest that psychological distress and inflammation markers can improve during inpatient rehabilitation.
- Further validation in larger cohorts with extended follow-up is warranted to confirm these exploratory findings.
