Spinal Cord Injury News and Research

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A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. Instead, an injury is more likely to cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae, which then crush and destroy the axons, extensions of nerve cells that carry signals up and down the spinal cord between the brain and the rest of the body. An injury to the spinal cord can damage a few, many, or almost all of these axons. Some injuries will allow almost complete recovery. Others will result in complete paralysis.

Nerve stimulation therapy for spinal cord injuries shows promise in animal studies

A nerve stimulation therapy developed at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is showing promise in animal studies and may eventually allow people with spinal cord injuries to regain function of their arms.

27 Jan 2023

Brain-computer interfaces' safety is similar to other implanted neurologic devices, study shows

For people with paralysis caused by neurologic injury or disease-;such as ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), stroke, or spinal cord injury-;brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to restore communication, mobility, and independence by transmitting information directly from the brain to a computer or other assistive technology.

16 Jan 2023

Understanding cat locomotion could help develop better treatment for human spinal cord injury

Cats always land on their feet, but what makes them so agile? Their unique sense of balance has more in common with humans than it may appear.

9 Jan 2023

Kessler Foundation scientist secures $4.5 million federal grant to advance spinal cord injury research

Amanda Botticello, PhD, MPH, from Kessler Foundation received a $4.5 million federal grant to advance spinal cord injury research, specifically to generate actionable information about how communities shape the disability experience.

23 Dec 2022

Cellular models based on reprogrammed human cells could boost development of efficient therapies

Studies on diseases that affect the human brain are usually based on animal models which cannot reproduce the complexity of human neuropathies.

22 Dec 2022

Study provides insights into the coordinated dance of nerve and vascular cells

Nerve cells need a lot of energy and oxygen. They receive both through the blood. This is why nerve tissue is usually crisscrossed by a large number of blood vessels.

21 Dec 2022

HU begins human trial for promising treatment to reverse paralysis and language disorder after stroke

Hiroshima University started the human trial for a promising treatment that offers hope in potentially reversing paralysis and language disorder after moderate to severe stroke using therapeutically superior mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the cranial bone.

1 Dec 2022

Unique scaffolding material shows significant promise in the treatment of spinal cord injury

Unique new material developed at University of Limerick in Ireland has shown significant promise in the treatment of spinal cord injury.

29 Nov 2022

UQ scientist receives a Churchill Fellowship to expand spinal cord injury research

A University of Queensland scientist is set expand his research into finding new treatments for spinal cord injury after being awarded a 2022 Churchill Fellowship.

28 Nov 2022

UC San Diego receives $8 million CIRM funding to expedite stem cell therapy clinical trials

Stem cells show particular promise in treating diseases for which few other effective treatments exist. In these therapies, stem cells are introduced into the body where they develop into specialized cells that repair, restore, replace or regenerate cells that have been damaged by the disease.

21 Nov 2022

Kessler and BrainQ partner on a national trial of breakthrough device to improve recovery after stroke

Researchers from Kessler Foundation and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (collectively "Kessler") are enrolling participants in a national trial of a breakthrough device for improving recovery after stroke. Kessler locations in West Orange and Saddle Brook, NJ, are among the 20 sites across the U.S. participating in the EMAGINE Stroke Recovery Trial, which pairs therapeutic exercise with stimulation of the brain through an investigational wearable device.

20 Nov 2022

Reversing paralysis with electrical stimulation of neurons

In a recent study published in the Nature journal, researchers assessed the impact of spatiotemporal epidural electrical stimulation (EES) on individuals suffering from chronic spinal cord damage.

13 Nov 2022

Neurotechnology shows potential for future medical interventions in humans

Neurotechnology -; the combination of neuroscience and technology -; has the potential to both "decode" and shape brain activity, with important implications for future interventions in humans.

9 Nov 2022

UTA researcher aims to develop assistive robots to help people with spinal cord injuries

A University of Texas at Arlington computer science researcher is developing a robotic system that helps people with spinal cord injuries perform everyday tasks, and she's involving members of the UTA Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team in the effort.

4 Nov 2022

Rehabilitation plus stem cell grafting after spinal cord injury can augment functional outcomes

In recent years, researchers have made measurable progress, using animal models, to promote tissue regeneration in spinal cord injuries (SCI) through implanted neural stem cells or grafts. Other efforts have shown that intensive physical rehabilitation can improve function after SCI by promoting greater or new roles for undamaged or spared cells and neural circuits.

28 Oct 2022

Kessler Foundation receives $2.24 million grant to fund Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System

Kessler Foundation received a $2.24 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to fund the Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System (NNJTBIS).

6 Oct 2022

Social motivator effectively rescues rehab participation in mice after spinal cord injury

A research finding in mice that the drug gabapentin improved rehab compliance after spinal cord injury led scientists to a related, unexpected discovery: Injured mice that didn't receive gabapentin and declined to exercise by themselves were willing to hop on the treadmill when presented with a group rehab option.

3 Oct 2022

Researchers find new way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain

Many diseases have at their origin a protein that does not function properly. Now, a multidisciplinary research team with Texas A&M AgriLife and Texas A&M University has found a way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain, with therapeutic and scientific implications.

28 Sep 2022

UC San Diego team receives $1.2 million to create a novel system to study chronic low back pain

A multidisciplinary team led by researchers at UC San Diego has received $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation to create a novel system to study and inform the treatment of chronic low back pain.

20 Sep 2022

Epigenetic treatment can promote neuronal regrowth in the spinal cord after injury

Currently, spinal cord injury does not have any effective treatments; physical rehabilitation can help patients regain some mobility, but for severe cases the outcomes are extremely limited by the failure of spinal neurons to regenerate naturally after injury.