Ying-Shing Chan

Abstract Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) induces rapid necrotic cell death, leading to severe neuronal and glial loss. A critical consequence is the disruption of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibitory tone in the dorsal horn, which results in excessive glutamate release and neuronal hyperexcitability—a hallmark of central neuropathic pain and excitotoxicity that exacerbates secondary spinal damage.

Significance The vestibular system provides a critical role to coordinate balance and movement, yet it remains an underappreciated sense. Functional MRI (fMRI) reveals much information about brain-wide sensory and cognitive processes. However, fMRI mapping of regions that actively process vestibular information remains technically challenging, as it can permit only limited movement during scanning.