Brain changes after spinal cord injury, a quantitative meta-analysis and review

Linda Solstrand Dahlberg; Lino Becerra; David Borsook; Clas Linnman

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.018

Brain changes after spinal cord injury, a quantitative meta-analysis and review

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2018 Jul:90:272-293. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Authors

Linda Solstrand Dahlberg¹, Lino Becerra², David Borsook², Clas Linnman³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA. Electronic address: ldahlberg@mgh.harvard.edu.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA; Center for Pain and the Brain, Boston Children's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.

PMID: 29702136
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.018

Abstract

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) lead to alterations in brain structure and brain function by direct effects of nerve damage, by secondary mechanisms, and also by longer term injury consequences such as paralysis and neuropathic pain. Here, we review neuroimaging studies of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries, perform a quantitative meta-analysis of motor and motor imagery studies, summarize structural studies, evidence of cortical reorganization, and provide an overview of diffusion and spectroscopy studies. The meta-analysis showed significantly altered motor cortex, as well as cerebellar and parietal lobe changes, and qualitatively consistent reports of alterations in somatosensory brain structure, cortical reorganization, white matter diffusion and thalamic metabolites. Larger samples in combination with standardized imaging protocols and data sharing will further our understanding of brain changes after SCI and help in defining short and long-term changes in brain systems in SCI patients. Such data would provide a basis for clinical trials, treatment outcomes, and guide novel interventions.

Keywords: Cortical reorganization; MRI; Meta-analysis; Neuroimaging; Plasticity; Spinal cord injury.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Brain / pathology
Brain / physiopathology*
Humans
Neuralgia / physiopathology*
Neuronal Plasticity / physiology
Recovery of Function / physiology*
Spinal Cord / physiopathology
Spinal Cord Injuries / physiopathology*