Articles Posted in Spinal Cord Injury

The current issue of Forbes carries an interesting article on driver rehabilitation after a serious injury or illness. Many people with newfound disabilities, including neurological conditions, heart disease and stroke, are overcoming great obstacles to find ways to get back to driving on the highway.  For the impaired person, the ability to drive symbolizes independence…

A quadriplegic  in Massachusetts with a small sensor implanted in his brain has demonstrated ability to control a computer, a television set and a robot using only his thoughts. In a variety of experiments, Matthew Nagle moved a cursor, opened e-mail, played a simple video game called Pong and drew a crude circle on the…

German researchers announced today that they have isolated stem cells in adult mouse testicles that have properties similar to those of embryonic stem cells. When injected into early mouse embryos, the cells contributed to the growth of various mouse organs, including heart, brain, and lungs. If the method works in humans, it could provide an…

I occasionally write in this blog of advances in stem cell research that may someday aid in spinal cord and brain injury treatment. I’m excited about the potential for development of non-embryonic stem cells from cord blood, adult olfactory nerves, etc. On the face of it, I tend to favor laws that restrict any form…

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School have developed a technique for stretching axonal connections between neurons, forming an elongated nerve network that may be implanted to bridge damaged nerve tissue. While the study is a very early effort with lab rats, the researchers hope it will lead to treatment for human spinal cord…

A team led by Dr. Geoffrey Raisman at the Institute of Neurology in London plans to begin within a year human clinical trials with patients’ own olfactory nerve stem cells to treat nerve and spinal cord injury. Use of the stem cells from the patient’s own nose avoids the ethical concerns about use of embryonic…

I never cease to be amazed and inspired by the resilient spirit of clients with spinal cord injuries. We have one paraplegic client who braved Third World travel conditions to participate in a church mission trip to Nicarauga. She ministered to women and children in the community, taught music classes at a school for the…

An Indiana man who has been a paraplegic for 23 years is going to China for an olfactory nerve stem cell implantation in his spinal cord. An American researcher has characterized the operation as “highly controversial” as China does not have the safeguards on medical experimentation that we have in the U.S. However, for a…

LONDON, England, 12/1/05 British surgeons hope a new procedure using stem cells from the lining of the nose will help mend severed nerves of paralyzed patients and may one day allow them to walk again. Neuroscientist Geoffrey Raisman discovered 20 years ago that the cells responsible for sense of smell are good at renewing themselves.…

Dallas, TX, 11/30/05. People who have suffered partial paralysis from spinal-cord injury show increased activity in the part of the brain responsible for muscle movement and motor learning after 12 weeks of training on a robotic treadmill, according to a report recently published by UT Southwestern Medical Center physical therapists led by Dr. Patricia Winchester.…