Tiny emitters near the spinal cord will release flashes of light
Damaged nerves mean that the flow of electricity coming or going to or from the brain no longer reaches its destination. This can happen during an accident, or it can be an inherited disability. Either way, the quality of life for people ...
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a novel mechanism in the regulation and differentiation of neural stem cells.
Researchers found that the protein receptor Ryk has a key role in the differentiation of neural stem cells, and demonstrated a signaling mechanism that regulates neuronal differentiation as stem cells ...
The adult central nervous system has limited ability to repair itself. That's why spinal cord injuries leave people permanently paralyzed. Now a study with mice finds that removing a particular signaling molecule in adult neurons restores their ability to regenerate damaged axons, the long extensions that convey signals from one neuron to another. The find potentially paves ...
Editor's Note: This story, originally printed in the September 1999 issue of Scientific American, is being posted due to a new study showing that nerve cells can be regenerated by knocking out genes that typically inhibit their growth.
For Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, the cause was a highly publicized headfirst fall during warm-ups for the 1998 Goodwill Games. For Richard Castaldo of Littleton, Colo., it was bullets; for onetime football player Dennis Byrd, a 1992 collision on the field; and for a ...