title: Silencing spinal interneurons inhibits immune suppressive autonomic reflexes caused by spinal cord injury.
abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) at high spinal levels (e.g., above thoracic level 5) causes systemic immune suppression; however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that profound plasticity develops within spinal autonomic circuitry below the injury, creating a sympathetic anti-inflammatory reflex, and that chemogenetic silencing of this reflex circuitry blocks post-SCI immune suppression. These data provide new insights and potential therapeutic options for limiting the devastating consequences of post-traumatic autonomic hyperreflexia and post-injury immune suppression.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.|Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno-Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.|Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niehaus
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, Department of Neuroscience, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Phillip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Popovich
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020211:Autonomic Dysreflexia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents