Spinal Cord Injury Articles Posted by Manouli

[manouli]

New program for spinal injuries aims to expand care now, find cure in future
By Mitzi Baker


Graham Creasey (left) and Gary Steinberg (right) have started a spinal cord injury and repair program helping patients, like army veteran Sonia Alvarado, reclaim some abilities.
What could be harder than not being able to walk? Lots of other hardships can be as challenging, said Graham Creasey, MD. Not being able to lift a spoon to your mouth can be difficult, and there are others harder still.

Creasey wants to change that now that he's the medical director of a new program starting at the School of Medicine designed to improve the lives of those with spinal cord injuries.

"If you have broken your neck, most people assume that the most important priority is to walk again," said Creasey, acting professor of neurosurgery. Since he's worked with people paralyzed from spinal cord injuries, he's learned that other things can take precedence over walking: being able to cough to clear your lungs, being able to control when you have to use the bathroom and just being able to use your hands.

"If you can't use your legs, you can still get around in a wheelchair, but if you can't use your hands, it's hard to use anything," said Creasey.

The Spinal Cord Injury and Repair Program was the brainchild of Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, the Bernard and Ronnie Lacroute-William Randolph Hearst Professor of Neurosurgery and the Neurosciences, who received approval for the program last summer. For the last decade or so, he has been interested in ways to restore the nervous system following injury, particularly after stroke. "But the spinal cord might be the first place we can achieve this goal in patients, since it is so much simpler than the brain," he said.

Steinberg wants the program to do something never done before: restore function to the spinal nerves following paralysis. "The ultimate goal is to achieve as close to a normal lifestyle as possible for people," he said.

Until that dream is realized, Creasey implements the many options that can improve the lives of paralyzed people. In particular, he advocates for the use of electrical stimulation devices that can provide the missing signals from damaged nerves to muscles. Creasey has pioneered the use of such devices, which he called "neural prostheses."

read...

http://neurosurgery.stanford.edu/about/090508.html

[guenther]

Manouli,

thank's for your fantastic articles!

Günther, Hamburg

[dan_nc]

I have to say though I miss seeing the article headline as a new subject line each time you post a fresh article. Some of the article titles really draw me in. Just saying... Keep up the awesome work.

I too, think this is not a positive change.

[manouli]

Paralysis: New hope from studying rats

posted 14 July 2011

It’s an old, grim axiom of neuroscience: After an injury, the nerves in your hand, arm or leg may grow back, but neurons in the brain and the spinal cord will not.

Part of the reason is a molecule called proteoglycan — a biological insulation that separates tissues. During development, for example, proteoglycan prevents the placenta from growing deep into the developing fetus. “The proteoglycan molecule has been known as nature’s own barrier molecule,” says Jerry Silver, a professor of neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University.

Proteoglycan strongly inhibits the growth and movement of cells, and explains why cartilage has neither nerves nor a blood supply.

In the spinal cord, proteoglycan serves to lock the nerves into position, preventing unwanted growth. Unfortunately, when the spinal cord is injured, a new burst of proteoglycan “walls off the injury site, but also blocks nerve regeneration,” says Silver.

A bacterial balm?
Now, using an enzyme made by a deadly bacterium, Silver and his colleagues have learned to restore normal breathing in rats with a damaged spinal cord. The study, published in Nature yesterday, shows that a combination of grafting and a proteoglycan-eating enzyme called chondroitinase may sidestep the proteoglycan’s growth-deadening effect – and open a path to the holy Grail of partial repair to the spinal cord.

As scientists continue trying to rebuild the spinal cord with stem cells, the new study shows an alternative route to healing.


read....

http://whyfiles.org/2011/spinal-cord-injury/

[manouli]

Deadlines for DOD Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) pre-proposals July 15

Posted on: Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) Defense Appropriations Act provides $12M to the Department of Defense (DOD) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP).

The SCIRP focuses its funding on innovative projects that have the potential to significantly impact improvements in the function, wellness, and overall quality of life for spinal cord injured military service members and veterans, their caregivers, families, and the American public.

read....

http://research.wayne.edu/rwnews/article.php?id=910

[paolocipolla]

I too, think this is not a positive change.

I agree, each article posted should have its own thread for comments/discussion IMO

[0xSquidy]

I too, think this is not a positive change.

I agree, each article posted should have its own thread for comments/discussion IMO

Agree

[GL]

manouli Way to go

[manouli]

State’s First Comprehensive Care, One-Stop Center for Spinal Cord Injury Patients Opens


Roper Rehab, MUSC Health, Carolinas Rehab, SCIRF combine efforts to offer specialized care

Charleston, S.C., July 15, 2011 –RoperRehabilitationHospital, MUSC Health, Carolinas Rehabilitation and the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund (SCIRF) have developed a new, collaborative program that will improve patient care for hundreds of people in our area living with spinal cord injury.



The Center for Spinal Cord Injury (CSCI) officially opened today in the 6th floor rehabilitation gym atRoperHospital, where physicians, hospital administrators and local officials were among those who gathered to learn about the new treatment center. The CSCI will offer specialized services unique to spinal cord injury patients in one location and during a single appointment. It is the first medical program of its kind inSouth Carolina.

read...

http://charleston.thedigitel.com/hea...r-s-32635-0715

[KIM]

Sorry but I think this Manouli sticky it´s a bit messy. Not that Manouli´s work is wrong.