Figure 8. Schematic representation of the BNA results.

SCI causes persistent inflammatory response which is maintained after 8 weeks in the spinal rats and includes activation and proliferation of resident microglia and astrocytes⁴⁶. It also causes oligodendrocyte death and demyelination that are exacerbated by the inflammation³⁸. Our BNA analysis suggests that SCI-induced down-regulation of the editing enzyme ADAR2 (and consequent decrease in editing of ADAR2 targets) is caused by these processes. BNA also suggests that post-SCI alterations in neuron-specific processes are downstream from ADAR2 and its targets. These downstream processes are likely to contribute to post-SCI recovery of motoneuron excitability but also to muscle spasms and spasticity.