Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41851217›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Anti-inflammatory treatment confirms rsfMRI and TSPO PET as biomarkers of functional connectivity and neuroinflammation in rat contusion spinal cord injuries.

Chaoqi Mu, Jamie L Reed, Feng Wang, M Noor Tantawy, Xinqiang Yan, Ming Lu, John C Gore, Li Min Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Chaoqi MuVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Jamie L ReedVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Feng WangVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
M Noor TantawyVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Xinqiang YanVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Ming LuVanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
John C Gore *Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Li Min Chen *Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. Limin.chen@vanderbilt.edu.

Funding

NIH HHS F31NS113949U.S. Department of Defense SC190134
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A cascade of biological responses to spinal cord injury (SCI), including neuroinflammation, plays a pivotal role in determining long-term outcomes and has become a primary therapeutic target. Riluzole, a neuroprotective agent, has demonstrated efficacy in preserving tissue integrity and improving motor function following SCI. The study aims to use this established treatment to verify that resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) functional connectivity (rsFC) and TSPO PET metrics are reliable biomarkers of SCI severity, progression, and treatment response. 16 male rats with a moderate lumbar contusion injury were administered Riluzole or HBC vehicle. rsfMRI and TSPO PET scans were collected post-SCI alongside motor-sensory behavioral tests. After SCI, significantly stronger rsFC between dorsal-to-dorsal gray matter horns rostral to the SCI was observed in the riluzole group, compared to the vehicle group. A majority of horn pairs rostral and caudal to injury exhibited significant decrease in rsFC over time for both groups and correlated with post-injury behavioral deficits and recovery. TSPO-PET detected increased SCI neuroinflammatory activity. Our results demonstrate reductions in rsFC disruption, validating the role of rsFC as biomarkers of SCI severity and progression. The imaging biomarkers can be used to evaluate the responsiveness to treatment and efficacy of novel therapies in preclinical studies.

Indexed as

Anti-Inflammatory AgentsMagnetic Resonance ImagingNeuroinflammatory DiseasesPositron-Emission TomographyReceptors, GABARiluzoleSpinal Cord InjuriesAnimalsBiomarkersCarrier ProteinsDisease Models, AnimalMaleNeuroprotective AgentsRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReceptors, GABA-AAnti-Inflammatory AgentsBiomarkersCarrier ProteinsNeuroprotective AgentsReceptors, GABAReceptors, GABA-ARiluzoleTspo protein, ratFunctional MRI (fMRI)Motor and somatosensory behaviorSpinal cordTSPO PET

Identifiers

PMID41851217
PMCPMC13136353

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.