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Spinal Cord Injury Press Releases
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013
A training regimen to adjust the body’s motor reflexes may help improve mobility for some people with incomplete spinal cord
injuries, according to a study funded by NINDS. During training, participants were instructed to suppress a reflex elicited
by a small shock to the leg. Those who were able to calm hyperactive reflexes – a common effect of spinal cord injuries –
saw improvements in their walking.
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012
Hundreds of NIH-funded studies are being presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. Here, the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has highlighted a selection of studies and events led by our grantees.
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2012
A workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has produced a set of consensus
recommendations to improve the design and reporting of animal studies. By making animal studies easier to replicate and interpret,
the workshop recommendations are expected to help funnel promising therapies to patients.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A trial funded in part by NIH is evaluating the BrainGate neural interface system, an investigational device intended to put
robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control. Two trial participants – both paralyzed by stroke years
ago – learned to use the BrainGate to make complex reach-and-grasp movements with a robotic arm, simply by imagining they
were using their own arms.
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2012
An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis.
Researchers developed a neuroprosthetic system that uses a brain-computer interface (BCI) to provide functional electric stimulation
(FES) to paralyzed muscles in the arm, allowing brain-controlled muscle contactions and restoring movement.
Monday, Feb 13, 2012
NIH announced the members of the new Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee chaired by NINDS Director Story Landis,
Ph.D. The IPRCC includes researchers, members of nonprofit public advocacy organizations, and representatives from 7 federal
agencies that deal with pain research and patient care.
Friday, Jun 24, 2011
It is possible to take a sample of skin cells and induce them to behave like embryonic stem cells. Scientists are using these
so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to study disease mechanisms and test potential therapeutic drugs. In 2009,
NINDS funded three consortia to develop iPS cell lines from individuals with Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS), and Huntington’s disease.
Friday, May 20, 2011
After intensive physical therapy and electric stimulation to the spine, a man with a paralyzing spinal cord injury has recovered
the ability to stand. He is the first of five individuals being studied in an NIH-funded trial of this approach, led by scientists
at the University of Louisville and UCLA.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Research shows that the chemotherapy drug taxol (also called paclitaxel) could help improve recovery from spinal cord injuries.
Writing in Science,* a team led by Frank Bradke, Ph.D., of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany
reports that taxol helps repair spinal connections and improves walking in rats with spinal cord damage.
Monday, Sep 20, 2010
When people think of spinal cord injury, they tend to think of paralysis. But a spinal cord injury can also cause debilitating
muscle spasms. Although the drug baclofen can control these spasms, many patients cannot tolerate its side effects. A new
study sheds light on how a spinal cord injury leads to spasms, and on the promise of more precisely targeted drugs with fewer
side effects.
Monday, Sep 13, 2010
In a study in animals, researchers have shown they can improve recovery from spinal cord injuries through an infusion of cells
that help rebuild the myelin sheath – a covering around nerve fibers. Despite efforts by many investigators to develop therapies
that target myelin, there has been a lack of consensus about the extent to which myelin loss has functional consequences in
spinal cord injury.
Combination Therapy Stimulates Spinal Cord Regeneration in Rats More Than One Year after InjuryMonday, Feb 1, 2010
In a study on animals, researchers found that a combination of treatments can stimulate the growth of severed axons (nerve
fibers) across an injured spinal cord, even when the treatments are delayed for more than a year.
Study Suggests Improved Treatments for Neuropathic PainThursday, Jun 26, 2008
Two chemicals associated with neurodegeneration and inflammation play important and distinct roles in development of neuropathic
pain, a new study shows. The findings may lead to new treatments that can stop neuropathic pain from developing and alleviate
it after it begins.
Nanotech Treatment Shows Promise against Spinal Cord Injury in MiceMonday, May 19, 2008
In experiments on mice, scientists have shown that an injectable nanotech-based polymer stimulates axons to regrow all the
way across a spinal injury.
Javits Neuroscience Award Presented to Six Leading ScientistsWednesday, Jul 12, 2006
Six outstanding scientists who target neurological disorders at the cellular and molecular level were recently awarded the
prestigious Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences. The award provides for up to seven years of research funding
from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the nation’s leading agency for research on the
brain and nervous system and a component of the National Institutes of Health.
Neurons Grown From Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Function In Paralyzed RatsTuesday, Jun 20, 2006
For the first time, researchers have enticed transplants of embryonic stem cell-derived motor neurons in the spinal cord to
connect with muscles and partially restore function in paralyzed animals. The study suggests that similar techniques may
be useful for treating such disorders as spinal cord injury, transverse myelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and
spinal muscular atrophy. The study was funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS).
Drug Prevents Brain Swelling After StrokeWednesday, Jun 14, 2006
A drug long used to treat diabetes significantly reduces brain swelling, neuron loss, and death after stroke in rats, researchers
have found. The finding may lead to improved ways of treating stroke and other disorders in humans.
Economic Benefit of NINDS-Supported Clinical Trials Estimated at More Than $15 Billion Over Ten YearsThursday, Apr 20, 2006
A comprehensive review of all phase III clinical trials supported by one Federal agency finds that, estimated conservatively,
the economic benefit in the United States from just eight of these trials exceeded $15 billion over the course of 10 years.
The study also found that new discoveries from the trials were responsible for an estimated additional 470,000 healthy years
of life. The clinical trials were sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke (NINDS).
Epilepsy Can Be Triggered by Support Cells in the BrainThursday, Dec 15, 2005
For decades, researchers have tried to understand what triggers clusters of neurons to begin signaling excessively in epilepsy.
A new study shows that, in many cases, the answer resides in star-shaped support cells called astrocytes. The finding may
lead to new ways of treating epilepsy.
Combination Therapy Leads to Partial Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury in RatsTuesday, Jul 26, 2005
Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new "insulation" around nerve fibers
in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows. The treatment, which mimics the activity of two nerve growth factors,
also improves the animals' motor function and electrical conduction from the brain to the leg muscles. The finding may eventually
lead to new ways of treating spinal cord injury in humans.
TROY: A Newly Identified Stop Signal in the Pathway for Nerve RegenerationWednesday, Mar 9, 2005
One of the major puzzles in neuroscience is how to get nerves in the brain and spinal cord to regrow after injury. A new
study has identified a protein, TROY, that inhibits nerve cell repair and plays a role in preventing nerve regeneration.
This finding is an important step in developing new methods for treatment of spinal cord injury, stroke, and degenerative
nerve disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award Recognizes Eight Exemplary ScientistsWednesday, Nov 10, 2004
Eight noted investigators have been awarded the prestigious Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences, which provides
for up to seven years of research funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The award,
which honors the late U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, is presented to investigators who have demonstrated exceptional scientific
excellence and productivity in research areas supported by the NINDS and who are expected to conduct cutting-edge research
over the next seven years.
Combination Therapy Dramatically Improves Function After Spinal Cord Injury in RatsSunday, May 23, 2004
A combination therapy using transplanted cells plus two experimental drugs significantly improves function in paralyzed rats,
a new study shows. The results suggest that a similar therapy may be useful in humans with spinal cord injury.
Fact Sheet
Signaling Molecule Improves Nerve Cell Regeneration in RatsFact Sheet
Thursday, Aug 29, 2002
Scientists have made a key discovery that could lead to a new treatment for spinal cord injuries. Two research teams have
found that a dose of a signaling molecule called cyclic AMP (cAMP) given before an induced injury causes damaged nerve cells
to grow new fibers. This finding takes researchers a step closer to understanding and possibly treating paralysis in humans.
Fact Sheet
Rewiring the Brain: A Natural Chemical Improves Motor Skills After StrokeFact Sheet
Monday, Aug 12, 2002
A new study shows that a chemical naturally produced by the body helps improve motor skills after a stroke by stimulating
undamaged nerve fibers to grow new connections in the brain and spinal cord. Researchers say that infusions of this chemical,
called inosine, substantially improves brain function following strokes in rats. The study suggests a new potential for stroke
treatment amid ongoing research efforts.
Fact Sheet
Delayed Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury May Improve RecoveryFact Sheet
Saturday, Dec 1, 2001
Rats given an experimental therapy several weeks after their spinal cords were severed showed dramatically greater regrowth
of nerve fibers and recovery of function than rats treated immediately after injury, a new study shows. The report suggests
that the window of opportunity for treating spinal cord injury may be wider than previously anticipated.
Fact Sheet
Manipulating A Single Gene Dramatically Improves Regeneration in Adult Neurons: Finding May Lead to New Approaches for Treating
Brain and Spinal Cord DamageFact Sheet
Sunday, Jul 1, 2001
Increasing the expression of a single gene that is important during development dramatically improves the ability of adult
neurons to regenerate, a new study shows. The finding suggests that intrinsic properties of neurons play an important role
in controlling neuronal regeneration and may lead to new approaches for treating damage from stroke, spinal cord injury, and
other neurological conditions.
Prolonged Treatment with Methylprednisolone Improves Recovery in Spinal Cord Injured PatientsTuesday, May 27, 1997
Since 1990, thousands of spinal cord injured patients have received the first effective treatment for acute injury. Now,
a new study shows that giving the drug for a longer period of time can significantly improve recovery over the standard treatment.
Scientists Gain New Understanding of CNS Stem Cells: Findings May Lead to Improved Treatments for Parkinson's Disease, Other
DisordersThursday, Apr 3, 1997
For decades, scientists believed that the adult central nervous system could not repair itself, in part because it lacked
fundamental 'stem cells', mother cells that can divide to form other kinds of cells. A series of findings has now shown that
stem cells are present in the adult brain and spinal cord, and that they can be grown in culture and directed to act in much
the same way as fetal stem cells. These findings provide new hope for people with Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury,
and a host of other disorders.
NINDS Research Offers Hope for Transplantation and RegenerationWednesday, Nov 10, 1993
Age-old dogma held that the central nervous system could not regrow or recover, dampening hopes for recovery from spinal cord
injury and other neurological disorders. But recent results from scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke (NINDS) offer a glimpse of how basic research promises approaches for restoring and repairing damaged nerves.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
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