Micromechanical adaptation as a treatment for spinal cord injury

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 (www.who.int, 2013;Kumar et al., 2018) 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.

Bridging large gaps in the injured spinal cord: mechanical and biochemical tissue adaptation

Incidence and consequences of spinal cord injuries： World- wide, every year 250,000-500,000 people suffer from spinal cord injury （SCI; www.who.int, 2013）. Traumatic lesions of the spinal cord lead to primary and secondary injury mechanisms, which result in axon damage, loss of signal conduction, demyelination of axons and long-lasting deficits in motor and sensory func- tion. The extent of the damage and the subsequent functional loss depend on the spinal level and the severity of the primary injury. Furthermore, pathophysiological and pathomorpholog- ical responses in acute and chronic SCI share similar but also different requirements for treatment.

Functional in vivo assessment of stem cell-secreted pro-oligodendroglial factors

The role of adult neural stem cells(NSCs)in demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system(CNS):Multipotent NSCs hold great potential for cell replacement in diseases and upon injury of the CNS.Originating from radial glial cells during nervous system development,adult NSCs are localized in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone(SVZ)of the lateral brain ventricles,the main neurogenic zones of the adult brain.Hippocampal precursor cells(type 1 cells)exhibiting properties of radial glial cells give rise to granule neurons through distinct intermediate precursor cells,and integrate into the hippocampal circuitry[reviewed by Kempermann et al.(2015)].Likewise,under physiological conditions,neuron generation by mouse SVZ-derived NSCs(also known as type B cells)is the predominant cell fate,which thereby results in large numbers of transient amplifying precursor cells(also known as type C cells)which in turn differentiate into neuroblasts(type A cells).These cells migrate along the rostral migratory stream into the olfactory bulb where they undergo maturation into local interneurons.The structure of the rodent SVZ differs from that of the human SVZ since the proliferative capacity is reduced,and migration of neuroblasts is a rare event in adult humans[reviewed by Lim and Alvarez-Buylla(2016)].