Treading new paths for neurotrauma rehab

Inside UVic’s Motor control research lab, investigations into such commonplace activities as walking is revealing secrets about the nervous system that may one day improve motor function in people who have suffered stroke or spinal cord injury.

Directing this research is Dr. Paul Zehr of UVic’s school of physical education, armed with nearly $1 million in funding and a desire to advance neurotrauma research at UVic. Continue Reading »

Neurogenesis: Forming Nerves

Recent research suggests that, throughout life, the adult brain retains a limited capacity to make new neurons. This new knowledge has led to a surge of interest in adult stem cells found in the brain. Two specific areas in the brain are known to generate new neurons. By studying stem cells in these areas, investigators like The Miami Project’s Daniel Liebl, Ph.D. hope to identify how neurogenesis – the formation of new neurons – is regulated in the adult nervous system. Continue Reading »

New findings on nerve cell proteins show promise for reducing disability

New findings in animals suggest a potential treatment to minimize Disability after spinal cord and other nervous system injuries, say neuroscientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

“Our approach is based on a natural mechanism cells have for protecting themselves, called the stress protein response,” said Michael Tytell, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and the study’s lead researcher. “We believe it has potential for preventing some of the disability that occurs as a result of nervous system trauma and disease.” Continue Reading »

Findings on Nerve Cell Proteins Show Promise for Reducing Disability

New findings in animals suggest a potential treatment to minimize Disability after spinal cord and other nervous system injuries, say neuroscientists.

Newswise — New findings in animals suggest a potential treatment to minimize disability after spinal cord and other nervous system injuries, say neuroscientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Continue Reading »

Current Understanding

To understand how treatment for spinal cord injury can be improved, it is important to understand the normal spinal cord and its functions, how these functions change after injury, and the status of current treatment.

The Normal Spinal Cord

The spinal cord and the brain together make up the CNS. The spinal cord coordinates the body’s movement and sensation. Unlike nerve cells, or neurons, of the Peripheral nervous system (PNS), which carry signals to the limbs, torso, and other parts of the body, neurons of the CNS do not regenerate after injury. Continue Reading »

Secondary damage

Damage to the spinal cord does not stop with the initial injury, but continues in the hours following trauma. Paradoxically, this delayed, secondary damage is not all bad news because Secondary Injury processes present windows of time in which treatment may reduce the extent of Disability. The effects of methylprednisolone demonstrate that such treatment is possible and present a model for the development of other treatments.

Two major themes about secondary damage recurred throughout the workshop. The first theme reflects increasing recognition that similar cellular processes contribute to damage in many different neurological disorders. Continue Reading »

Stem Cells Found In Adults May Repair Nerves

It used to be considered dogma that a nerve, once injured, could never be repaired. Now, researchers have learned that some nerves, even nerves in parts of the brain, can regenerate or be replaced. By studying the chemical signals that encourage or impede the repair of nerves, researchers at the University of Washington, the Salk Institute, and other institutions may contribute to eventual treatments for injured spines and diseased retinas, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Continue Reading »

Fountain of Neurons Created

Immortalized stem-like cells could provide a limitless supply of spinal cord and brain replacement parts

A method of producing an unlimited supply of human neurons has been developed that could be used to treat brain diseases and spinal cord injury. Continue Reading »

Spinal cords fixed in tests

With a genetic tweak, scientists have created an unlimited supply of a type of nerve cells found in the spinal cord and have been able to use the cells to partially repair damaged spinal cords in lab animals. Continue Reading »

How does the spinal cord work?

Neurons (nerve cells) in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve send axons (nerve fibers) up and down the spinal cord in spinal tracts. These spinal tracts are called white matter because axons are coated with a membrane called myelin and myelin appears white. In the spinal cord, white matter is usually situated close to the surface of the cord, arranged into several columns called the anterior, posterior, and lateral columns. The spinal cord contains neurons located in the middle part of the spinal cord. The areas of the spinal cord that contain neurons is called gray matter. The gray matter is most abundant in the parts of the spinal cord that connect to the arms and legs, called the cervical and lumbosacral enlargements. Continue Reading »