title: Is neuroinflammation in the injured spinal cord different than in the brain? Examining intrinsic differences between the brain and spinal cord.
abstract: The field of neuroimmunology is rapidly advancing. There is a growing appreciation for heterogeneity, both in inflammatory composition and region-specific inflammatory responses. This understanding underscores the importance of developing targeted immunomodulatory therapies for treating neurological disorders. Concerning neurotrauma, there is a dearth of publications directly comparing inflammatory responses in the brain and spinal cord after injury. The question therefore remains as to whether inflammatory cells responding to spinal cord vs. brain injury adopt similar functions and are therefore amenable to common therapies. In this review, we address this question while revisiting and modernizing the conclusions from publications that have directly compared inflammation across brain and spinal cord injuries. By examining molecular differences, anatomical variations, and inflammatory cell phenotypes between the injured brain and spinal cord, we provide insight into how neuroinflammation relates to neurotrauma and into fundamental differences between the brain and spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Physiology, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Physiology, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. Electronic address: gensel.1@uky.edu.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gensel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: Adaptive immune response; Alternative activation; Anti-cd11d; Astrocyte; Autoimmune; B cell; Blood brain barrier; Blood spinal cord barrier; Gr1; Immune; Innate; Ly6c; Ly6g; Macrophage; Microglia; Monocyte; Neutrophil; Protective autoimmunity; SUR-1; Secondary cell death; Spinal cord injury; T cell; Translational; Traumatic brain injury