SPINAL CORD INJURY RESEARCH CENTER

脊髓损伤及其最终结果显然是 原发和继发退变的复杂过程以及 推定成人脊髓试图表达塑料或 原始损伤后的再生行为。我们的中心使用了一个 检查和处理急性因素的方法组合 伴随着退化现象。此外，我们还有 利用幼年脊椎动物的已知能力再生脊椎 路径与我们的研究，试图联系塑性行为 胎儿脊柱到脊柱重组过程的通路和 发展。我们中心的工作假设是，这些因素 导致成人脊柱再生相对缺乏的原因 哺乳动物的表达方式是内在的生长潜力是 从未联系过。 个别项目跨越多个学科和方法论 以追求这些目标。我们的前两个项目(1-2)将使用 我们最新开发的机电冲击装置用于研究急性 和对撞击损伤的慢性反应，以表征神经化学物质 创伤性损伤的后遗症(项目1)并调查 胎儿移植在恢复过程中可能发挥的生理作用 已知在受伤后启动(项目2)。成体再生 现象和与之相关的发展过程在 其他项目。项目3检查了正常和更改的电路 猫脊髓中特定的躯体和内脏反射。这个 负鼠下行通路发育迟缓 在下一个项目(项目4)中的优势。因为所有的脑干 途径似乎有一个表达塑料的关键期。 行为(围绕诱导性损伤生长)，这个项目提出了一些问题 关于这一现象的普遍性。上升系统似乎显示出 在作者提供的初步数据中具有类似的塑性。这 因此，Project提供了一个优秀的模型系统，在该系统中 发育中的哺乳动物可以在体内进行研究。项目5应该允许 神经节苷脂的某些作用机制的阐明 生物化学和分子水平，特别是与塑料有关的 中枢神经系统的行为和相关的生长现象 就在那里。这个项目显然与它上面的所有人有关，因为它 解决与神经节苷脂调节能力有关的基本问题 退化的生化机制，如蛋白质的变化 磷酸化(项目1)，以阐明神经节苷脂在 脊髓移植中的神经发生(方案2)及其作用探讨 这类物质的发育可塑性(项目3-4)。 这种生化方法的使用无疑将放大 解剖学和生理学信息将在类似的 动物。这种多方面的方法导致了重要的 合作研究，否则在外面是不可能的 中心概念的一部分。

Spinal cord injury and its eventual outcome is clearly a by-product of the complex processes of primary and secondary degeneration and the presumptive attempts of the adult spinal cord to express plastic or regenerative behavior after the original lesion. Our Center has used a combination of approaches to examine and manipulate the acute factors that accompany the degenerative phenomenon. In addition, we have exploited the known capacity of young vertebrates to regenerate spinal pathways with our studies that attempt to relate the plastic behavior of fetal spinal pathways to processes of spinal reorganization and development. It is the working hypothesis of our Center that the factors which contribute to a relative lack of spinal regeneration in adult mammals are expressed in such a way that intrinsic growth potentials are never reached. Individual projects span a wide range of disciplines and methodologies in pursuit of these objectives. Our first two projects (1-2) will use our recently developed electro-mechanical impact device to study acute and chronic responses to impact injury, to characterize the neurochemical sequelae to traumatic injury (Project 1) and investigate the physiological roles that fetal transplants may play in recover processes known to be initiated after injury (Project 2). Adult regenerative phenomena and developmental processes related thereto are studied in other projects. Project 3 examines the normal and altered circuitry of specific somatic and visceral reflexes in the cat spinal cord. The delayed development of descending pathways in the opossum is taken advantage of in the next project (Project 4). Since all brainstem pathways seem to have a critical period during which they express plastic behaviors (growing around induced lesions), this project asks questions about the generality of the phenomenon. Ascending systems seem to show similar plasticity in preliminary data presented by this author. This project therefore provides an excellent model system in which a developing mammal can be studied in vivo. Project 5 should allow the elucidation of certain mechanisms of action of gangliosides at the biochemical and molecular level, particularly as they relate to plastic behavior of the central nervous system and growth phenomena related thereto. This project clearly relates to all of those above it since it addresses basic issues related to the ability of gangliosides to modulate biochemical mechanisms of degeneration such as alterations in protein phosphorylation (Project 1), to clarify the role of gangliosides in neuritogenesis during spinal grafting (Project 2) and explore the roles of such substances in developmental plasticity (Projects 3-4). Utilization of such biochemical approaches will undoubtably amplify the anatomical and physiological information to be gathered in similar animals. Such multifaceted approaches have led to important collaborative research that would have otherwise been unlikely outside of the center concept.