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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1495801

Peripheral immune reactions following human traumatic spinal cord injury: the interplay of immune activation and suppression

Provisionally accepted
Hanne Coenen Hanne Coenen Veerle Somers Veerle Somers Judith Fraussen Judith Fraussen *
  • Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) damages the nerve tissue of the spinal cord, resulting in loss of motor and/or sensory functions at and below the injury level. SCI provokes a long-lasting immune response that extends beyond the spinal cord and induces changes in the composition and function of the peripheral immune system. Seemingly contradictory findings have been observed, as both systemic immune activation, including inflammation and autoimmunity, and immune suppression have been reported. Differences in the levels and functions of various cell types and components of both the innate and adaptive immune system supporting these changes have been described at (sub)acute and chronic stages post-injury. Further research is needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the peripheral immune reactions following SCI, their possible correlations with clinical characteristics, and how these immune responses could be targeted to facilitate the therapeutic management of SCI. In this review, we provide an overview of the current literature discussing changes in the peripheral immune system and their occurrence over time following a traumatic SCI.

    Keywords: spinal cord injury, peripheral immune reaction, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Immunosuppression

    Received: 13 Sep 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Coenen, Somers and Fraussen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Judith Fraussen, Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.