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.

Neurotechnology shows potential for future medical interventions in humans

Neurotechnology -; the combination of neuroscience and technology -; has the potential to both "decode" and shape brain activity, with important implications for future interventions in humans.

9 Nov 2022

UTA researcher aims to develop assistive robots to help people with spinal cord injuries

A University of Texas at Arlington computer science researcher is developing a robotic system that helps people with spinal cord injuries perform everyday tasks, and she's involving members of the UTA Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team in the effort.

4 Nov 2022

Rehabilitation plus stem cell grafting after spinal cord injury can augment functional outcomes

In recent years, researchers have made measurable progress, using animal models, to promote tissue regeneration in spinal cord injuries (SCI) through implanted neural stem cells or grafts. Other efforts have shown that intensive physical rehabilitation can improve function after SCI by promoting greater or new roles for undamaged or spared cells and neural circuits.

28 Oct 2022

Kessler Foundation receives $2.24 million grant to fund Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System

Kessler Foundation received a $2.24 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to fund the Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System (NNJTBIS).

6 Oct 2022

Social motivator effectively rescues rehab participation in mice after spinal cord injury

A research finding in mice that the drug gabapentin improved rehab compliance after spinal cord injury led scientists to a related, unexpected discovery: Injured mice that didn't receive gabapentin and declined to exercise by themselves were willing to hop on the treadmill when presented with a group rehab option.

3 Oct 2022

Researchers find new way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain

Many diseases have at their origin a protein that does not function properly. Now, a multidisciplinary research team with Texas A&M AgriLife and Texas A&M University has found a way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain, with therapeutic and scientific implications.

28 Sep 2022

UC San Diego team receives $1.2 million to create a novel system to study chronic low back pain

A multidisciplinary team led by researchers at UC San Diego has received $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation to create a novel system to study and inform the treatment of chronic low back pain.

20 Sep 2022

Epigenetic treatment can promote neuronal regrowth in the spinal cord after injury

Currently, spinal cord injury does not have any effective treatments; physical rehabilitation can help patients regain some mobility, but for severe cases the outcomes are extremely limited by the failure of spinal neurons to regenerate naturally after injury.

20 Sep 2022

Scientists receive $399,368 grant for front-line analysis of health services for autism in New Jersey

Scientists from Kessler Foundation received a two-year grant for $399,368 from The New Jersey Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, New Jersey Department of Health, for a front-line analysis of health services for autism spectrum disorders in the state.

12 Sep 2022

New research focuses on restoring movement after spinal cord injury

People with spinal cord injuries often experience life-long movement impairment or paralysis, for which there is no cure. When coupled with rehabilitative exercise, electrical spinal cord stimulation can help restore some movement, though the mechanisms of how the nerves in the spinal cord recover are unknown.

6 Sep 2022

Discovery of a group of latent stem cells could offer a new approach to treat brain and spinal cord injuries

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have identified a group of latent stem cells that respond to injury in the central nervous system of mice. If a similar type of cell exists in humans, they could offer a new therapeutic approach to treat brain and spinal cord injuries.

22 Aug 2022

Gait analysis in animals: Treadmill versus non treadmill system

This interview will look into talking about different systems used for analyzing gait in animals, in treadmill versus non-treadmill systems.

From Noldus Information Technology 8 Aug 2022

Decreased hippocampal activity linked to worse PTSD symptoms

After a traumatic event, people with decreased activity in the hippocampus experience worse PTSD symptoms, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

25 Jul 2022

New collaborative work wins Neuromod Prize to accelerate the development of neuromodulation therapies

The pioneering collaborative work being performed by Kessler Foundation scientists in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation team has been recognized with the Neuromod Prize, a new initiative from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund's Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program.

22 Jul 2022

Kessler Foundation researchers receive NJHF grants to advance research in neurological disabilities

Each year, New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) accepts applications for grants for research projects that demonstrate exciting potential to help scientists leverage their preliminary findings to qualify for additional funding to advance their research. This year, grants were awarded to three researchers at Kessler Foundation.

21 Jul 2022

Study examines the use of eye movements as a biomarker for dual-diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord and brain injury

Silvana Costa, PhD, of Kessler Foundation received a two-year $199,800 grant from the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research.

11 Jul 2022

Gabapentin treatment may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke

The drug gabapentin, currently prescribed to control seizures and reduce nerve pain, may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke by helping neurons on the undamaged side of the brain take up the signaling work of lost cells, new research in mice suggests.

23 May 2022

Existing drug may reduce damage after spinal cord injury, research shows

Scientists from the University of Birmingham have shown an existing drug may reduce damage after spinal cord injury, by blocking the inflammatory response in the spinal cord.

20 May 2022

New methods can make spinal cord less excitable and could be used to treat muscle spasms

Poor sleep, difficulty moving and injuries from hitting something accidentally are just some of the challenges faced by suffers of often-painful involuntary muscle spasms.

11 May 2022

Gene therapy effectively reduces neuropathic pain in mice with spinal cord injuries

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a gene therapy that inhibits targeted nerve cell signaling effectively reduced neuropathic pain with no detectable side effects in mice with spinal cord or peripheral nerve injuries.

9 May 2022