Prospective research direction
Central nervous system nerve regeneration would be able to repair or regenerate the damage caused to the spinal cord. It would restore functions lost due to the disease. Engineering endogenous repairCurrently, there exists a hydrogel based scaffold which acts as a channel to deliver nerve growth-enhancing substrates while providing structural support. These factors would promote nerve repairs to the target area. Hydrogels macroporous properties would enable attachment of cells and enhance ion and nutrient exchange. In addition, hydrogels biodegradability or bioresolvability would prevent the need for surgical removal of the hydrogel after drug delivery. It means that it would be dissolved naturally by the bodys enzymatic reaction. Biochemical repairNeurotropic factor therapy and gene therapy
Neurotropic growth factors regulate growth, survival, and plasticity of the axon. They benefit nerve regeneration after injury to the nervous system. They are a potent initiator of sensory axon growth and are up-regulated at the lesion site. The continuous delivery of neurotropic growth factor (NGF) would increase the nerve regeneration in the spinal cord. However, the excessive dosing of NGF often leads to undesired plasticity and sprouting of uninjured sensory nerves. Gene therapy would be able to increase the NGF efficacy by the controlled and sustained delivery in a site-specific manner.Stem cell-based therapiesThe possibility for nerve regeneration after injury to the spinal cord was considered to be limited because of the absence of major neurogenesis. However, Joseph Altman showed that cell division does occur in the brain which allowed potential for stem cell therapy for nerve regeneration.
Myelitis is inflammation of the spinal cord which can disrupt the normal responses from the brain to the rest of the body, and from the rest of the body to the brain. Inflammation in the spinal cord, can cause the myelin and axon to be damaged resulting in symptoms such as paralysis and sensory loss. Myelitis is classified to several categories depending on the area or the cause of the lesion; however, any inflammatory attack on the spinal cord is often referred to as transverse myelitis. Types of myelitis
Myelitis lesions usually occur in a narrow region but can be spread and affect many areas. Acute flaccid myelitis: a polio-like syndrome that causes muscle weakness and paralysis. Poliomyelitis: disease caused by viral infection in the gray matter with symptoms of muscle paralysis or weakness
Transverse myelitis: caused by axonal demyelination encompassing both sides of the spinal cord
Leukomyelitis: lesions in the white matter
Meningococcal myelitis (or meningomyelitis): lesions occurring in the region of meninges and the spinal cordOsteomyelitis of the vertebral bone surrounding the spinal cord (that is, vertebral osteomyelitis) is a separate condition, although some infections (for example, Staphylococcus aureus infection) can occasionally cause both at once. The similarity of the words reflects that the combining form myel(o)- has multiple (homonymous) senses referring to bone marrow or the spinal cord. Symptoms
Depending on the cause of the disease, such clinical conditions manifest different speed in progression of symptoms in a matter of hours to days.