Modification of autophagy-lysosomal pathway as a neuroprotective treatment for spinal cord injury

TL;DRAbstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most common causes of long-term disability among young adults world-wide. In the United States, 12,000–20,000 new cases are reported annually and approximately half a million people currently live with SCI. Unfortunately, beyond surgery for immobilization of the spine and prolonged rehabilitation there are no effective treatments to improve functional outcomes after SCI. This is at least in part due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of injury after spinal cord trauma. The physical impact during SCI results in direct mechanical damage to some cells and tissues (primary injury). Primary injury also sets off a cascade of widespread, progressive biochemical changes leading to further neuronal and glial cell death, neuroinflammation and glial scar formation (secondary injury) (Beattie et al., 2002). Secondary injury can occur over hours, days and months after the initial impact, and may involve cells distant from but functionally connected to the

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