Quadriplegics at Risk for Serious Sleep Breathing Disorder
Quadriplegics have a heightened risk of central sleep apnea, a new study reports.
Scientists Identify Clue to Regrowing Nerve Cells
Researchers have identified a chain reaction which triggers the regrowth of some damaged nerve cell branches. The finding could someday help improve treatments for nerve injuries which can cause loss of sensation or paralysis.
Researchers Describe Technology that Lets Spinal Cord Injured Man Control Robot Arm with Thoughts
Researchers describe how an electrode array sitting on top of the brain enabled a 30-year-old paralyzed man to control the movement of a character on a computer screen in three dimensions with just his thoughts. It also enabled him to move a robot arm to touch a friend’s hand for the first time in the seven years.
Doctors Perform First FDA Approved Schwann Cell Transplant in Patient with New Spinal Cord Injury
Doctors performed the first-ever FDA approved Schwann cell transplantation in a patient with a new spinal cord injury. The procedure is a Phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transplanting the patient’s own Schwann cells.
Musical Glove Improves Sensation, Mobility for People with Spinal Cord Injury
Georgia Tech researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury (SCI).
Controlling Your Computer With Your Eyes
Millions of people suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries or amputees could soon interact with their computers and surroundings using just their eyes, thanks to a new device that costs less than £40 (~$63).
Walking Again After Spinal Cord Injury
Neuroprosthetics and robot rehabilitation wake up the ‘spinal brain’ and restore voluntary movement. Rats with spinal cord injuries and severe paralysis are now walking (and running) thanks to researchers at EPFL. Published in the June 1, 2012 issue of Science, the results show that a severed section of the spinal cord can make a comeback […]
Fish Study Raises Hope for Spinal Injury Repair
Scientists have unlocked the secrets of the zebrafish’s ability to heal its spinal cord after injury, in research that could deliver therapy for paraplegics and quadriplegics in the future. A team from Monash University’s Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), led by Dr Yona Goldshmit and Professor Peter Currie, discovered the role of a protein in […]
Paralyzed Individuals Use Thought Controlled Robotic Arm to Reach and Grasp
NIH-funded study shows progress in brain-computer interface technology. In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own – for the first time in nearly 15 years – by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the […]
Surgeons Restore Some Hand Function to Quadriplegic Patient
Technique could help those with C6, C7 spinal cord injuries. Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working […]
