Current opinion in neurology
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The field of neurotrauma research faces a reproducibility crisis. In response, research leaders in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) are leveraging data curation and analytics methods to encourage transparency, and improve the rigor and reproducibility. Here we review the current challenges and opportunities that come from efforts to transform neurotrauma's big data to knowledge. ⋯ We are on the threshold of a new era in data collection, curation, and analysis. The next phase of big data in neurotrauma research will require responsible data stewardship, a culture of data-sharing, and the illumination of 'dark data'.
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Curr. Opin. Neurol. · Dec 2018
ReviewProteomic changes in traumatic brain injury: experimental approaches.
The underlying mechanisms responsible for chronic and progressive neurological damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are poorly understood, and therefore, current treatment options are limited. Proteomics is an emerging methodology to study changes to the TBI proteome in both patients and experimental models. ⋯ In this review, our aim is to briefly describe experimental TBI models and the underlying methods common to most proteomic approaches. We will then review a series of articles that have recently appeared in which these approaches have been applied to important TBI questions. We will summarize several recent experimental studies, and suggest how the results of these emerging studies might impact future research as well as patient treatment.
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Curr. Opin. Neurol. · Dec 2018
ReviewStimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors by exogenous and endogenous ligands improves outcome of brain injury.
The failure of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists as a treatment for human traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, along with preclinical findings of a persistent hypofunctional state of these receptors after brain injury, resulted in a new focus on NMDAR agonists, specifically those acting via the glycine site of the NMDAR. This article reviews the recent literature on positive modulators of the glycine site as a new modality for improving cognitive function in central nervous system pathology, including traumatic and ischemic brain injuries, neuroinflammation, and neuropsychiatric disorders. ⋯ Taken together, the preclinical and clinical studies provide new, additional support for the notion that activation of the glycine/serine site should be considered a novel therapeutic approach to cognitive impairments. Specifically, as DCS is an approved drug, its translation into clinical practice should be advocated.