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.

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8 Jan 2008

New research shows that paralyzed mice walk again

People paralyzed because of spinal cord injuries may glean some hope from new research carried out in mice.

7 Jan 2008

Scientists restore walking after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking.

7 Jan 2008

Rehabilitation training for patients with spinal cord injuries may help repair brain, spinal cord

Intensive rehabilitation training for patients with spinal cord injuries can stimulate new branches growing from severed nerve fibers, alongside compensatory changes in the brain, say Canadian researchers.

20 Dec 2007

Intensive training post-spinal cord injury can stimulate repair in brain and spinal cord

20 Dec 2007

Cervical collars superior in immobilization and reduction of pressure

Ossur, an emerging leader in the non-invasive orthopaedics market following several acquisitions and a period of integration, has announced that the Journal of Trauma has published the long-awaited results of a two year cervical collar study performed by the Mayo Clinic.

13 Dec 2007

Botox shows potential for bladder spasms and leakages

Eight years ago, Lynette Kunz suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left her a quadriplegic and sufferer of involuntary bladder contractions.

5 Dec 2007

Researchers investigate intelligent robotic devices to help people with severe disabilities

Scientists from the University of Ulster and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur have teamed up to investigate how to develop intelligent robotic devices to help people with severe disabilities achieve greater independence.

21 Nov 2007

Human skin could be a new source of stem cells

A simple recipe—including just four ingredients—can transform adult human skin cells into cells that resemble embryonic stem cells, researchers report in an immediate early publication of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

21 Nov 2007

Brain compensatory mechanisms contribute to recovery from spinal cord injury

A research team led by Tadashi Isa, a professor at the Japanese National Institute for Physiological Sciences, NIPS (SEIRIKEN), and Dr. Yukio Nishimura (University of Washington, Seattle), have found that brain compensatory mechanisms contribute to recovery from spinal cord injury.

16 Nov 2007

Spinal cord reconstruction following injury

A new study has identified what may be a pivotal first step towards the regeneration of nerve cells following spinal cord injury, using the body's own stem cells.

13 Nov 2007

Research reveals critical knowledge about the nervous system

Uncover the neural communication links involved in myelination, the process of protecting a nerve's axon, and it may become possible to reverse the breakdown of the nervous system's electrical transmissions in such disorders as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, diabetes and cancers of the nervous system.

6 Nov 2007

Revolutionary surgical procedure for a type of decapitation

A revolutionary surgical procedure by a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has helped restore almost complete function to a patient who suffered a virtual decapitation.

6 Nov 2007

Study looks at religion in health care

Research shows that religion and spirituality are linked to positive physical and mental health; however, most studies have focused on people with life threatening diseases.

24 Oct 2007

New therapy for chronic spasticity and rigidity

Research led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has identified a target with potential as an effective new therapy for chronic spasticity and rigidity, a painful condition that often results from spinal cord injury.

17 Oct 2007

Findings could lead to new therapy for spinal cord injury

17 Oct 2007

Researchers working on the development of drugs to limit neuronal death

Neurons die en masse when the spinal cord is injured or when a person suffers a stroke. Researchers of the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, and of Aarhus University, Denmark, have unraveled the molecular mechanism which causes the death not only of damaged neurons, but also of healthy nerve cells.

16 Oct 2007

Antibody repairs myelin in lab study of multiple sclerosis and related disorders

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a human antibody administered in a single low dose in laboratory mouse models can repair myelin, the insulating covering of nerves that when damaged can lead to multiple sclerosis and other disorders of the central nervous system.

10 Oct 2007

Clinical trial for lab-grown neo-bladder to help spinal cord injury patients

Urologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are studying whether a neo-bladder construct grown from a patient's own cells can improve bladder function for adult spinal cord injury patients.

8 Oct 2007

High school footballers wearing special helmets to monitor brain injuries

As they root for the home team from the bleachers this fall, high school gridiron fans in the small Illinois town of Tolono don't necessarily see anything out of the ordinary down on the field.

27 Sep 2007