Longitudinal Assessment of Spinal Cord Structural Plasticity using DTI in SCI Patients

 描述（由申请人提供）：目前脊髓损伤（SCI）康复的临床和结局指标依赖于自我报告来监测和评价SCI患者的功能结局，临床神经影像学对检测SCI和SCI进展或修复不敏感。此外，在神经损伤水平以下难以评估和评价SC功能。目前的项目探讨了潜在的效用的扩散张量成像（DTI）的SC监测SCI修复作为康复治疗和自发恢复的结果，并涉及定量DTI参数的变化，以运动性能的增益。通过纵向扫描SC，结构微观适应预计将量化损伤和康复后的DTI。运动功能和其他临床变量将在基线和每次随访时进行检查，我们将检查DTI参数和临床测量之间的联系，从而获得更多关于如何修复受损通路以恢复感觉运动功能的潜在机制的见解。这些知识可以帮助临床医生为SCI患者设计更有效的康复治疗计划。建议的神经影像学测量可能作为SCI，其恢复和运动和感觉功能恢复的生物标志物。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current clinical and outcome measures in rehabilitation of spinal cord injury (SCI) rely on self- reports to monitor and evaluate the functional outcome in patients with SCI and clinical neuroimaging is not sensitive to detect SCI and SCI progression or repair. Moreover, it is difficult to assess and evaluate the SC function below the neurological injury level. The current project explores the potential utility of diffusio tensor imaging (DTI) of SC to monitor SCI repair as a result of rehabilitative treatment and spontaneous recovery, and relates quantitative DTI parameter changes to motor performance gains. By scanning the SC longitudinally, structural microscopic adaptations are expected to be quantified by DTI following the injury and rehabilitation. Motor function and other clinical variables will be examined at baseline and each follow-up visit and we will examine the linkage between the DTI parameters and clinical measurements and thus gain more insights in the underlying mechanism of how the wounded pathways are repaired to reinstate sensorimotor function. This knowledge may help clinicians design more effective rehabilitative treatment plans for patients with SCI. The proposed neuroimaging measurement may potentially serve as a biomarker of SCI, its recovery and motor and sensory function restoration.