Anti-neural antibodies have been implicated in the pathogenesis of nerve damage in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, leprosy, and other motor neuron diseases. Considering exposure of damaged nerve tissue to the immune system during traumatic injuries, the resulting anti-neural antibodies formed in patients with nervous system injury may affect the healing process of nerve tissues or induce nerve damage at the injury sites or other sites. To date, however, no information is available on the prevalence of anti-neural antibodies in sera from patients with traumatic nervous system injury and controls. In this study, serum samples were obtained from 185 patients with traumatic nervous system injury and 291 controls and antibodies were obtained detected by an enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay(ELISA) against ceramide, asialo-GM₁(AGM₁),and galactocerebroside(GC), The results were then analyzed based on nerve injury sites, severity, and presence or absence of associated injuries, duration after injury, etc.

The results obtained were as follows:

1) The major immunoglobulin class was IgM against the ceramide, GC, and AGM₁, antigens in sera from patients with traumatic nervous system injury.

2) Among 185 patients with traumatic nervous system injury, a significant level of antibodies were detectable in 75(40.5%) against ceramide, in 71(38.4%) against AGM₁, and in 57(30.8%) against GC antigen, respectively. In contrast, of 291 serum specimens form controls, 55(18.9%) were reactive with ceramide, 43(14%) with AGM₁,and 38(13.0%) with GC respectively. The seroprevalence of antineural antibodies was thus significantly higher among patients with traumatic nervous system injury than among controls(p0.01).

3) There was no significant difference of the prevalence rate and the mean value of antineural antibodies among three patients groups, one with head injury, a second with spinal cord injury, and a third, amputation. However serum antibody reactivity was higher in the sever head injury and incomplete spinal cord injury sub-groups than in those who suffered from other associated injuries.

4) The value of anti-neural IgM antibodies gradually decreased in most patients with traumatic nervous system injury within two to three months after trauma. In about six to ten months after injury, the value of IgM antibodies significantly decreased below the normal values of these antibodies.

This study thus showed that patients with traumatic nervous system injury had a significant level of circulating anti-neural antibodies. However, further follow-up studies on these patients ate desirable to understand the role of antineural antibodies in the pathogenesis of nerve damage.