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.

Stimulation method helps some people with spinal cord injury to regain hand and arm mobility

Almost 18,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries every year. Many of these people are unable to use their hands and arms and can't do everyday tasks such as eating, grooming or drinking water without help.

12 Jan 2021

Study examines neural mechanisms of specific cognitive tasks of individuals with spinal cord injury

A team of rehabilitation researchers has studied processing speed deficits in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), comparing their brain activation patterns with those of healthy age-matched controls, and older healthy individuals.

4 Jan 2021

First patient enrolled in Phase II clinical trial of stem cell therapy for traumatic injuries

The first patient has enrolled in a Phase II clinical trial evaluating a stem cell therapy for the potential early treatment of traumatic injuries and their subsequent complications at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

21 Dec 2020

Study reveals innovative gene therapy approach to regenerate functional new neurons

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes disability and seriously compromises quality of life. While decades of research have made significant progress in axonal regeneration after SCI, most of the interventions have not been translated into clinical therapies.

18 Dec 2020

FEFU scientists suggest reconsidering existing treatment protocol for severe spinal cord trauma

Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University together with leading international experts suggest reconsidering the existing treatment protocol for severe spasticity, one of the main complications after spinal cord injury with partial spinal cord disruption.

10 Dec 2020

Kessler Foundation receives COVID-19 crisis funding to support spinal cord injury community

Kessler Foundation received a $10,000 grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation's crisis funding to support the spinal cord injury (SCI) community and critical research amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 Dec 2020

Studies examine rates of blindness and vision impairment worldwide

Sobering new statistics released by the Global Burden of Disease study found no significant reduction in the number of people with treatable sight loss worldwide since 2010 as public health services failed to meet World Health Organization (WHO) targets.

2 Dec 2020

New drug lures stem cells to damaged tissue, improves treatment efficacy

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy--a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine.

25 Nov 2020

Individuals with spinal cord injury show improvements in mobility with exoskeleton-assisted walking

Exoskeletal-assisted walking is safe, feasible, and effective in individuals disabled by spinal cord injury, according to the results of a federally funded multi-site randomized clinical trial.

12 Nov 2020

UT research enables intuitive human control of wearable robots to improve mobility of paretic patients

Wearable robots such as exoskeletons are often used in the rehabilitation of paretic patients (people with paralysis, for example after a stroke or spinal cord injury).

9 Nov 2020

Robotic Trunk Support Trainer helps children with cerebral palsy to sit more stably

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability-;2.0-3.5 per 1000 births-;and children born with it have impaired development and diminished control of movement and posture.

22 Oct 2020

Antispastic drug candidate could offer new hope for millions of patients suffering from spasticity

First-in-class antispastic drug candidate to reach clinical phase is published in the prestigious life science journal, Cell. Drug candidate MPH-220 could mean new hope for millions of patients suffering from spasticity.

16 Oct 2020

Study challenges current standard for managing blood pressure in people with spinal cord injury

New research from the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) challenges the current standard for managing blood pressure in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

16 Oct 2020

UofSC scientists identify biological triggers that promote quicker nerve regeneration

University of South Carolina scientists are exploring ways to make nerve regeneration happen faster and more successfully.

15 Oct 2020

Dried plum diet prevents spinal cord injury‐related bone loss

Findings from a new study among mice show a diet high in dried plum (prunes) completely prevents bone loss associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), while also restoring some of the bone lost following SCI.

6 Oct 2020

Blood-based biomarker can overcome limitations of current verbal tests for concussion

There is an urgent need for objective markers for diagnosing concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury. The status of blood-based biomarker development and point-of-care testing are examined in a new Expert Panel Discussion published alongside the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma.

1 Oct 2020

UC Davis leads a consortium to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries

Engineers at the University of California, Davis, will lead a consortium of universities, biomedical startups and nonprofit organizations to develop interventions for spinal cord injuries that can be applied within days of injury to improve long-term outcomes.

30 Sep 2020

New study shows efficacy of carbon nanotube implants to restore motor functions

A new study conducted by SISSA and the University of Trieste shows the efficacy of carbon nanotube implants to restore motor functions and paves the way for a new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injuries.

29 Sep 2020

Experts summarize employment outcomes for individuals recovering from spinal cord injury

A team of experts in disability employment summarized advances in outcomes being achieved in individuals recovering from spinal cord injury.

23 Sep 2020

Intra-CREATE grants awarded to support research on personalized medicine and cell therapy

Researchers from Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine, an interdisciplinary research group at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have been awarded Intra-CREATE grants from the National Research Foundation Singapore to help support research on retinal biometrics for glaucoma progression and neural cell implantation therapy for spinal cord injuries.

22 Sep 2020