The first subject in InVivo Therapeutic’s ongoing pilot trial for acute spinal cord injury was implanted with a Neuro-Spinal Scaffold on 14 October 2014. In the time between implantation and the 3-month post-injury assessment, there were no reported serious adverse events associated with the…
Category: Research (page 23)
Thoracic spinal stimulation can drive inspiratory muscles in dogs with SCIs
Japanese researchers have used high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF-SCS) to activate inspiratory muscles in dogs with high level spinal cord injuries. It is hoped this will lead to treatments to aid breathing in patients with spinal cord injury who are currently ventilator-dependent. Read abstract (full article…
Chinese surgeons perform first collagen scaffold/stem cell surgery for SCI
According to lead researcher Dai Jianwu, a research fellow with the Institute of Genetics and Development Biology of CAS, the first of 6 patients was implanted with mesenchymal stem cells and a collagen complex made up of collagen scaffold fibers, also…
The brain thinks, the spinal cord implements
Although the brain or brain stem acts as the command center, it is the neural networks in the spinal cord that actually generate the complex motor patterns. People with spinal cord injuries still have neural connections (so-called locomotion centers) below the…
Human spinal locomotor control is based on flexibly organized burst generators
Even after complete spinal paralysis, the human spinal cord is able to trigger activity in the leg muscles using electrical pulses from an implanted stimulator. Now researchers have succeeded in identifying the mechanisms the spinal cord uses to control this…
Multitasking molecule repairs damaged nerve cells
And as reported in a pair of studies published this week in Nature and Nature Communications, a molecule that has long been known to clear out dying or damaged nerve cells also—amazingly—tries to heal them. In this study, scientists at…
New flexible implant for electrical stimulation of spinal cord
Professors Stéphanie Lacour and Grégoire Courtine have developed e-Dura, a flexible stretchy implant designed specifically for implantation on the surface of the brain or spinal cord. The small device closely imitates the mechanical properties of living tissue, and can simultaneously deliver…
Tiny worm could lead to nerve injury treatments
In a study published today in renowned scientific journal Nature, Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) scientists at The University of Queensland have discovered the molecular mechanisms that allow severed nerves in roundworms to fuse back together. Project leader Dr Massimo Hilliard…
Dog paralysis study shows need for customised treatments
A clinical trial from North Carolina State University involving paraplegic dogs has demonstrated that a one-size fits all approach is not ideal for treating spinal cord injuries. Instead, the study highlights the fact that the population of canine paraplegics –…
Use it or lose it! Exercise treatment for spinal injuries
WEST Australian researchers are taking part in an innovative ‘use it or lose it’ approach to treating spinal injuries, with the potential to revolutionise the way such injuries are treated. Three randomised control trials are underway as part of a…