Human Brain Treats Prosthetic Devices as Part of the Body
According to new research, the human brain can adapt to treat a relevant prosthetic as a substitute for a person’s non-working body part, and not as an extension to their immobile limb.
Scientists Find Genes Linked to Human Neurological Disorders in Sea Lamprey Genome
Scientists have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey. The lamprey has large, identified neurons in its brain and spinal cord, making it an excellent model to study regeneration at the single cell-level.
Reflex Control Could Improve Walking After Incomplete Spinal Injuries
A training regimen to adjust the body’s motor reflexes may help improve mobility for some people with incomplete spinal cord injuries. During training, the participants were instructed to suppress a knee jerk-like reflex elicited by a small shock to the leg. Those able to calm hyperactive reflexes saw improvements in their walking.
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.
Neural Stem Cells Regenerate Axons in Severe Spinal Cord Injury
Researchers were able to regenerate an astonishing degree of axonal growth at the site of severe spinal cord injury in rats. Results were then replicated using two human stem cell lines, one already in human trials for ALS. “We obtained the exact results using human cells as we had in the rat cells,” said Tuszynski.
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).
Zebrafish Reveal Promising Mechanism for Healing Spinal Cord Injury
Preliminary results in mice show that Fgf injections near a spinal injury increase both the number of glia cells at the site and the elongated morphology. Their evidence suggests that Fgfs may work to create an environment more supportive of regeneration in mammals as well and could be a valuable therapeutic target.
Scientists Identify Protein Required to Regrow Injured Nerves in Limbs
A protein required to regrow injured peripheral nerves has been identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The finding, in mice, has implications for improving recovery after nerve injury in the extremities. It also opens new avenues of investigation toward triggering nerve regeneration in the central nervous system, notorious for [...]
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 [...]
