# Spinal and Cerebral biomarkers for measuring disease progression and prognosis in chronic spinal cord injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $388,139

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Degenerative disc disease, a term frequently referred to as spondylosis, occurs as part of the
normal aging process and its treatment costs run in the many billions of dollars per year. Cervical
spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), a form of chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), is the most debilitating
type of degenerative disc disease, and is the most common acquired cause of spinal cord
dysfunction in adults greater than 50 years of age. In many ways, its impact on society is greater
than traumatic SCI due to the substantially larger number of patients afflicted with this disorder.
There are several critical gaps in our understanding of CSM pathogenesis and treatment, in part
due to the fact that the vast majority of CSM research has investigated the spinal cord in isolation,
and not assayed other supraspinal structures within the CNS that are anatomically and
functionally interrelated. Moreover, many of these isolated cervical spine studies have utilized
standard MRI, which provides excellent macroscopic detail, but little information regarding the
spinal cord microstructure, cellular physiology, or metabolism.
 Recent studies have demonstrated the role of cerebral reorganization and neural plasticity as
compensatory mechanisms to preserve neurological function following traumatic SCI. We have
previously elucidated similar findings in CSM patients utilizing both task based and resting
functional MRI. During our previous funding period, we established Diffusion Tensor Imaging and
MR spectroscopy as suitable techniques for assessing the spinal cord microstructure and
biochemistry, and demonstrated correlations with these biomarkers to degree of neurological
impairment. We now propose to build upon our previous work by developing a multi-modality
imaging paradigm that probes the impact of supraspinal plasticity on CSM pathogenesis and
recovery in tandem with advanced spinal cord imaging techniques MRS and DTI to yield a
complete view of the entire sensorimotor network. In addition to greatly enhancing our knowledge
base regarding chronic SCI pathogenesis and recovery, we seek to utilize these advanced
imaging techniques to bridge current clinical gaps in the monitoring of CSM patients managed
nonoperatively, as well as prediction of surgical outcome in those treated with surgery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869917
- **Project number:** 5R01NS078494-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin M. Ellingson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $388,139
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2012-09-26 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869917

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869917, Spinal and Cerebral biomarkers for measuring disease progression and prognosis in chronic spinal cord injury (5R01NS078494-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869917. Licensed CC0.

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