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.

Heroin could could help patients with narcolepsy

A new study has found that users of heroin have high levels of a brain chemical called hypocretin. This hypocretin leads to “wakefulness” among the users and understanding this could help patients with narcolepsy.

29 Jun 2018

Polio virus could help brain cancer patients

According to researchers genetically altered poliovirus strains could help some patients of brain cancer. A team of researchers from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, used modified polio virus strains in small groups of patients who had glioblastoma – a particularly deadly form of brain cancer. In these patients standard treatments have failed say the researchers and this novel therapy could help.

27 Jun 2018

Polio returns to Papua New Guinea

A polio outbreak, the first in 18 years, has been reported by the health officials in Papua New Guinea (PNG). One case of the viral infection was confirmed in the Lufa Mountain settlement in Lae city which is the second largest city in PNG.

26 Jun 2018

UT Southwestern scientists identify gene mutation linked with perplexing brain condition

Scientists conducting one of the largest full DNA analyses of a rare disease have identified a gene mutation associated with a perplexing brain condition that blinds and paralyzes patients.

20 Jun 2018

Dual-therapy approach can help boost motor recovery in stroke victims

Paralysis of an arm and/or leg is one of the most common effects of a stroke. But thanks to research carried out by scientists at the Defitech Foundation Chair in Brain-Machine Interface, in association with other members of EPFL's Center for Neuroprothetics, the Clinique Romande de Réadaptation in Sion, and the Geneva University Hospitals, stroke victims may soon be able to recover greater use of their paralyzed limbs.

20 Jun 2018

Italian innovative SME receives 2.5 million Euro from RedSeed Ventures

New partners are joining Pasquale Fedele, the inventor of BrainControl, who gained a total of 2.5 million Euro in a round of funding led by the Italian based investment firm RedSeed Ventures.

18 Jun 2018

Sleep disorders appear to be first sign of serious neurological diseases

Sleep disorders are often the first sign of serious neurological diseases. Neurologists should inquire extensively about the quality of their patients' sleep.

18 Jun 2018

Eating honey can reduce serious injuries in children who swallowed button battery, shows study

A team of ear, nose, and throat specialists has demonstrated that eating honey after swallowing a button battery has the potential to reduce serious injuries in small children.

11 Jun 2018

Researchers transplant lab-grown neural cells in mice with spinal injuries to improve breathing

Researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin improved respiratory function in rodents with spinal cord injuries after successfully transplanting a special class of neural cells, called V2a interneurons.

7 Jun 2018

Experimental drug shows potential to improve bladder function after spinal cord injury

An experimental drug that blocks abnormal neural communication after spinal cord injury could one day be the key to improving quality of life by improving bladder function, new research suggests.

5 Jun 2018

Sleep paralysis, hallucinations found to be widespread in student athletes

Pilot data from a recent study suggest that sleep paralysis and dream-like hallucinations as you are falling asleep or waking up are widespread in student athletes and are independently associated with symptoms of depression.

4 Jun 2018

Rockefeller scientists shed new light on the neuroscience of sleep

A good night of sleep entails about eight hours of blissful immobility--a state of near paralysis that, though welcome at night, would be inconvenient during the day. In a recent paper published in Cell Reports, Rockefeller scientists shed new light on the transitions between a wakeful, active state and the stillness of sleep.

1 Jun 2018

Researchers reveal stimulatory effects of myelin on young neural cells

Recovery after severe spinal cord injury is notoriously fraught, with permanent paralysis often the result. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to stem cell-based therapies as a potential method for repairing and replacing damaged nerve cells.

24 May 2018

Researchers reveal mechanisms of periodic paralysis in people with rare genetic disorder

A rare genetic disorder in which people are suddenly overcome with profound muscle weakness is caused by a hole in a membrane protein that allows sodium ions to leak across cell membranes, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle have found.

21 May 2018

Study: Drug used to treat blood loss may be beneficial for some stroke patients

Patients with stroke caused by bleeding on the brain may benefit from receiving a drug currently used to treat blood loss from major trauma and bleeding after childbirth, an international trial has revealed.

16 May 2018

Penn surgeons perform first ever robot-assisted complex spinal surgery for rare tumor removal

Noah Pernikoff is back to his life in New York City after becoming the first patient in the world to undergo a complex three-part, robotic-assisted surgery.

3 May 2018

Neonicotinoids may impact human health by disrupting hormonal systems, shows study

Neonicotinoids are currently the most widely used pesticides in the world and frequently make headlines because of their harmful effects on honeybees and other insect pollinators

27 Apr 2018

Nonsurgical technique enables people with spinal cord injuries to regain use of hands

The ability to perform simple daily tasks can make a big difference in people's lives, especially for those with spinal cord injuries.

26 Apr 2018

Research reveals why people with tetraplegia more likely to suffer from sleep apnea

New research published in The Journal of Physiology has indicated why people with paralysis of their limbs and torso are more likely to suffer from sleep apnoea. This knowledge could be used to develop much-need targeted therapies.

17 Apr 2018

Middle ear infection can lead to deadly neurological complications

While antibiotics have greatly reduced the dangers of ear infections, serious neurological complications, including hearing loss, facial paralysis, meningitis and brain abscess still occur, according to an article in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.

16 Apr 2018