J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  1987 Mar;16(1):255-264.

The Effect of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone on somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Cats with Spinal Cord Injury

• Park CO
• Lee KC
• Leem JW
• Paik KS

Abstract

The therapeutic goal for the spinal injury has been focused on preventing the secondary ischemic changes because of the poor regeneration of human spinal cord. Naloxone, an antagonist of endogenous opiates, has been clinically used for the purpose of preventing ischemic change and improving the recovery of neurological function after spinal injury. Recently, thyrotropin releasing hormone(TRH), a hypothalamic hormone inducing the thyrotropin secretion in anterior pituitary gland, has been known as a potent stimulator of cardiovascular functions in shock and the neurologic recovery in injuries of central nervous system, however, its underlying mechanism is still obscure. The present study was designed to determine whether TRH was also effective to improve the experimentally induced spinal injury as naloxone did, Somatosensory evoked potentials(SEPs) have used as an index for recovery of neurological function after the spinal injury which was induced by the 400gm.cm contusion of the T-7 spinal level in cats. The results are summarized as follows : 1. SEPs abolished soon after spinal contusion were reappeared 3 hours after injury when either of naloxone(10mg/kg) or TRH(4mg/kg) was administrated intravenously. Its recovery was completed after 24 hours. 2. The recovery rates of SEPs after treatments of naloxone and TRH were 62.5% and 64.7% of experimental animals, respectively. In conclusion, the present studies confirm the therapeutic benefit of TRH in experimental spinal injury and demonstrate that it is superior to treatment with naloxone. Further studies would be needed to explain the underlying mechanism of TRH effects.

Keyword

Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone; Somatosensory Evoked Potential; Spinal Cord Injury

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cats*
Central Nervous System
Contusions
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory*
Humans
Naloxone
Opioid Peptides
Pituitary Gland, Anterior
Regeneration
Shock
Spinal Cord Injuries*
Spinal Cord*
Spinal Injuries
Thyrotropin*
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone*
Naloxone
Opioid Peptides
Thyrotropin
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone