Dynamic Changes of Glu and Asp Concentrations in Blood and Spinal Fluid of Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Their Correlation with Prognosis

As excitatory neurotransmitters, glutamic acid (Glu) and aspartic acid (Asp) may play a key role in the pathological process of traumatic spinal cord injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes of Glu and Asp concentrations in blood and spinal fluid of patients with secondary spinal cord injury and their correlation with prognosis, so as to provide evidence for disease monitoring and treatment. In this study, 62 patients with secondary spinal cord injury admitted from January 2021 to December 2023 were selected as study subjects. Blood and spinal fluid samples were collected at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after injury, and the concentrations of Glu and Asp were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. At the same time, the neurological functions of the patients at admission and 3 months after injury were evaluated using the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) scoring criteria, and the patients were divided into a good prognosis group (ASIA score increased by ≥10 points) and a poor prognosis group (ASIA score increased by