Research Links

Gene Injection, Delivered to Mice Soon After Spinal Injury, Seems to Aid Recovery

Spinal cords of rats shown 24 hours after cervical injury. The rat whose spinal cord is shown in A...
Spinal cords of rats shown 24 hours after cervical injury. The rat whose spinal cord is shown in A received no active treatment whereas the rat whose spinal cord is shown in B was treated to suppress Abcc8, demonstrating a noticeable reduction in hemorrhage.

Sugar found in the shells of sea creatures could hold the key to a treatment for spinal injuries, giving hope to patients paralysed by disease or accidents.

The research is in the early stages and has so far been carried out on guinea pigs but the scientists are hopeful it may lead to treatments for humans. Photo: ALAMY
Researchers have found that by altering a sugar found in shells they were able to patch up damaged nerve cells in the spinal cord...

The damaged nervous system can make new circuits to bypass areas of damage: this is known as plasticity. In children the brain is still very plastic and malleable, and they can recover from quite severe brain damage. But in adults plasticity is almost lost, and recovery after stroke, spinal cord injury and other conditions is limited. PLASTICISE researchers have shown that reactivating plasticity in the brain and spinal cord is a powerful method of enhancing recovery after damage...

A study published by researchers from the Miller School's Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis offers evidence that the use of mild hypothermia is both a safe and potentially effective strategy in acute spinal cord injury.

More than two years ago, NFL player and former Miami Hurricane Kevin Everett suffered a spinal cord injury and many believed he would never walk again. Everett was given a hypothermic treatment, the introduction of a cold saline solution,,,