Paralysis News and Research

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Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of your body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia.

FDA approves drug-free stroke rehabilitation system to treat upper extremity motor deficits

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the MicroTransponder Vivistim Paired VNS System (Vivistim System), a first-of-its-kind, drug-free rehabilitation system intended to treat moderate to severe upper extremity motor deficits associated with chronic ischemic stroke—a stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain with long-lasting symptoms—using vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).

27 Aug 2021

Study finds a new line of drugs to stimulate myelin repair in multiple sclerosis

In the nearly 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis, the fatty substance that insulates the nerves of the central nervous system—called myelin—is damaged.

24 Aug 2021

Beneficial and protective effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines far outweigh the risk of Bell's palsy

The first large-scale population-based study on the association between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and Bell's palsy confirms that the beneficial and protective effects of the vaccines far outweigh the risk of this rare adverse event.

16 Aug 2021

Patient laments on not getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Saul Torres considers himself lucky to be alive after contracting COVID-19 and suffering from a rare neurological condition.

10 Aug 2021

New motor imagery-based BMI system turns intentions into actions

A new wearable brain-machine interface (BMI) system could improve the quality of life for people with motor dysfunction or paralysis, even those struggling with locked-in syndrome – when a person is fully conscious but unable to move or communicate.

22 Jul 2021

Brain signals translated into speech give paralyzed man back his words

Scientists at UC San Francisco have successfully developed a "speech neuroprosthesis" device that has enabled a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences, translating signals from his brain to text on a screen.

15 Jul 2021

Study tests neuromuscular electrostimulation effects on hand motor recovery in older stroke patients

The University of Valencia, in collaboration with FISABIO and the Doctor Peset University Hospital, has conducted a randomised clinical trial comparing the effects of two neuromuscular electrostimulation (EENM) protocols with different frequencies on the motor impairment of the hand in older patients after a stroke.

14 Jul 2021

New treatment targeting senescent cells boosts functional recovery from spinal cord injury

Senescent cells prevent tissue recovery following spinal cord injury, and a new drug targeting these cells could therefore improve functional recovery capacity.

6 Jul 2021

Reduced function of key gene may affect communication between motor neurons and muscles in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks nerve cells known as motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, gradually leading to paralysis.

30 Jun 2021

Black Lives Matter Fellowship established to help Black students excel in neuroscience or neurosurgery

There are many reasons to pursue diversity in medicine: social justice, providing a counterforce against societal bias, bringing new points of view to the clinic.

25 Jun 2021

Cedars-Sinai receives $11.99 million from CIRM to launch ALS clinical trial

Cedars-Sinai has been awarded $11.99 million by California's stem cell agency to launch a clinical trial testing a potential gene and stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

23 Jun 2021

Campylobacter infection can also be spread through sexual contact

Campylobacter infection, one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the Western world, can also be spread through sexual contact, according to a new research discovery by an OU Hudson College of Public Health faculty member, working in conjunction with colleagues in Denmark.

21 May 2021

Study reveals the first complete 3D molecular structure of immature flavivirus

Better designed vaccines for insect-spread viruses like dengue and Zika are likely after researchers discovered models of immature flavivirus particles were originally misinterpreted.

17 May 2021

CNIO researchers unravel why motor neurons die in ALS patients

In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the progressive death of neurons that control body movement leads to paralysis of muscles in the limbs and gradually of the whole body, which ultimately makes it impossible to breathe. ALS is currently untreatable, and its cause is unknown.

12 May 2021

UTMB researchers receive $11.3 million grant to study immunopathogenesis of Ebola

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have been awarded an $11.3 Million, multi-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study immunopathogenesis of Ebola, and in particular to determine why cells infected with Ebola develop "immune system paralysis," which inhibits immune response, leads to hyperinflammation, and allows the deadly infection to spread.

7 May 2021

New technology could allow people with Motor Neurone Disease to communicate via computer

A revolutionary assistive technology being developed by GP Dr Nick Gompertz with a team of researchers at the University of Bath hopes to offer people with conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) new ways of communicating via a computer.

6 May 2021

Biomedical engineer receives NIH Trailblazer grant to advance research on paralysis, brain damage

Imagine harnessing the proliferating power of cancer cells to treat spinal cord injuries and restore function following brain damage. It's an idea that University of Massachusetts Amherst biomedical engineer Chase Cornelison has been exploring in recent years.

5 May 2021

Low-profile thoracic aortic endograft minimizes complications, increases patient pool

Preliminary results of a clinical trial, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, showed that a new, low-profile thoracic aortic endograft is safe and effective in the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm or penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU) diseases.

3 May 2021

Study reveals mechanisms that cause muscle weakness in patients with Becker disease

Muscle weakness in patients with Becker disease is caused by unusual electrical activity in muscle fibres termed 'plateau potentials' that make them temporarily inactive, says a study published today in eLife.

27 Apr 2021

Research could inform therapeutic approaches to ameliorate the effects of fetal immobility

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that some skeletal defects associated with a lack of movement in the womb during early development may still be ameliorated after such periods of immobility if movement resumes.

23 Apr 2021