Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2017

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Complement

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Circulating Autoantibodies In Human Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Subjects And Their Relationship To The Development Of Neuropathic Pain, Georgene Hergenroeder Dec 2017

Circulating Autoantibodies In Human Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Subjects And Their Relationship To The Development Of Neuropathic Pain, Georgene Hergenroeder

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Background:

Approximately 17,500 spinal cord injuries (SCI) occur yearly in the U.S. causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Neuropathic pain (NP) ensues in 40-70% of SCI. An autoimmune response resulting from disruption of the blood-spinal cord-barrier may be a contributor to NP. However, the relationship between autoantibodies and NP after SCI in humans has not been thoroughly characterized nor have autoantigens been identified. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and collapsin response mediator protein2 (CRMP2) were identified as candidate autoantigens. The hypothesis is that proteins from the injured spinal cord released by SCI trigger autoantibody production which can lead to the development …