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.

NJHF awards $135K to Kessler Foundation scientists for pilot research projects

This year, New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) granted $135,000 in awards to three Kessler Foundation scientists to support pilot research projects that exhibit promising potential.

13 Apr 2024

Neural circuitry in the spinal cord allows brain-independent motor learning

Aya Takeoka at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan and colleagues have discovered the neural circuitry in the spinal cord that allows brain-independent motor learning.

13 Apr 2024

Defining how exercise affects cardiovascular health in people using wheelchairs

Delphia Brown (left) exercises at the Stephen A. Orthwein Center, a wheelchair-accessible gym in St. Louis operated by Paraquad, an organization that helps people with disabilities achieve independence.

2 Apr 2024

Stem cell therapy safe and potentially beneficial for spinal cord injury patients

A Mayo Clinic study shows stem cells derived from patients' own fat are safe and may improve sensation and movement after traumatic spinal cord injuries.

1 Apr 2024

Branched chain amino acid supplementation speeds concussion recovery in adolescents

A new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma found a significant reduction in total symptom score and faster return to physical activity among adolescents and young adults with concussion who were treated with branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation.

21 Mar 2024

New initiative seeks to improve health and well-being in the face of disease, injury and aging

The 'Lucerne Initiative for Functioning Health and Well-being' (LIFE) is seeking to improve health and well-being in the face of disease, injury and aging.

12 Feb 2024

Tiny device could help improve safety, effectiveness of cell therapy for spinal cord injury patients

A tiny device built by scientists at MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology could be used to improve the safety and effectiveness of cell therapy treatments for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries.

7 Feb 2024

OSU study pinpoints early muscle loss mechanism in acute spinal cord injury

Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients lose body weight and muscle mass, despite being on a high-calorie diet while in the intensive care unit.

20 Dec 2023

New insights on optimizing housing for individuals with spinal cord injury

Housing that fails to meet the needs of people with disabilities may have far-reaching consequences. Living situations that impede independence and community integration, for example, can adversely affect health and wellbeing over the long term.

1 Dec 2023

She once advised the president on aging issues. Now, she’s battling serious disability and depression.

The GoFundMe request jumped out at me as I was scrolling through posts on LinkedIn.

28 Nov 2023

Clinical trial demonstrates the effectiveness of ALS drug in treating people with acute spinal cord injuries

A small clinical trial with a pharmacokinetic sub-study, led by a world-renowned pharmacologist at the University of Houston, has demonstrated the promising effectiveness of the drug Riluzole for improving functionality in people with acute spinal cord injuries (SCI) if the drug is taken within 12 hours post-injury.

1 Nov 2023

New strategy for treating chronic spinal cord injury leads to functional recovery of the forelimb

A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma demonstrates a strategy for treating a chronic spinal cord injury in rats that led to functional recovery of the paralyzed forelimb and paw and precision movements of the digits.

4 Oct 2023

Improving treatment outcomes for individuals with acute spinal cord injury

A special focus issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma highlights the latest findings of the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN), aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with acute spinal cord injury (SCI).

27 Sep 2023

Multipronged gene therapy restores walking in mice after complete spinal cord injury

When the spinal cords of mice and humans are partially damaged, the initial paralysis is followed by the extensive, spontaneous recovery of motor function.

21 Sep 2023

Scientists uncover a crucial component for restoring functional activity after spinal cord injury

In a new study in mice, a team of researchers from UCLA, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Harvard University have uncovered a crucial component for restoring functional activity after spinal cord injury.

21 Sep 2023

NIH grants support Kessler Foundation scientists to advance research on neglect dyslexia and autism

Three Kessler Foundation research scientists, Timothy Rich, PhD, OTR/L, and Co-Principal Investigators Helen Genova, PhD, and Heba Elsayed, MD, have been awarded $777,325 in federal grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research in the fields of neglect dyslexia and autism.0

11 Sep 2023

Processing speed influences memory rehabilitation outcomes in TBI patients

Scientists at Kessler Foundation reported results from a randomized controlled trial examining the influence of processing speed on treatment benefits of the Kessler Foundation modified Story Memory Technique (KF-mSMT) in individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

25 Aug 2023

Two more universities set to join IUCRC BRAIN at University of Houston to advance neurotechnology

Two more universities, West Virginia University (WVU) and Georgia Institute of Technology, have been funded by the National Science Foundation and are set to join the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Building Reliable Advances and Innovations in Neurotechnology (IUCRC BRAIN), housed at the University of Houston.

23 Aug 2023

New online course helps personal care assistants better understand spinal cord injury

"Understanding Spinal Cord Injury: A Course for Personal Care Assistants" a new interactive online course designed to enhance the training of personal care assistants (PCAs) for individuals with spinal cord injury, was presented today at the Paralyzed Veterans of America Healthcare (PVA) Summit + Expo at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld Hotel in Orlando, FL, by Jeanne Zanca, MPT, PhD, FACRM, assistant director of the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research at Kessler Foundation, and chair of the Foundation's Institutional Review Board.

16 Aug 2023

New review looks at the impact of robotic exoskeletons on recovery of ambulation among individuals with acquired brain injury

A team of New Jersey researchers reviewed the evidence for the impact of robotic exoskeleton devices on recovery of ambulation among individuals with acquired brain injury, laying out a systematic framework for the evaluation of such devices that is needed for rigorous research studies.