Biologist awarded $1.8M to study neuronal reprograming for spinal cord repair
National Institutes of Health grant will enable Hedong Li to focus on role of micorRNAs in the reprogramming process
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hedong Li, associate research professor of biology, has been awarded $1.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how microRNAs — small segments of genetic material — could be used in treatments for spinal cord injury. The five-year grant builds upon previous work by Li and colleagues to convert glial cells, support cells that surround neurons, into functioning neurons.
Simultaneous electrical and magnetic stimulation helped a spinal cord injury patient regain the ability...
At the BioMag Laboratory, the first promising results have been achieved in the application of synchronised electrical and magnetic stimulation therapy when rehabilitating a paraplegic patient and restoring his ability to walk.
The simultaneous stimulation of the motor nerves of the brain and limbs (paired associative stimulation) has yielded promising research results.
She broke her back mountain biking. Now she’s a Yale New Haven nurse.
NEW HAVEN — Lindsey Runkel says there are no inappropriate questions to ask her.
There certainly are many questions to ask.
Like, how does a nurse, paralyzed from the chest down, do her job from a wheelchair? How does she stay so effervescently positive all the time? Why does she continue to go mountain biking after a crash in New Hampshire pinched her spinal cord, breaking two vertebrae?
Dorsal root ganglion stimulation evokes motor responses in patients with complete spinal cord injury
Bilateral L4 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation has been shown to evoke strong and reproducible motor responses in the upper leg in patients with chronic motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI).
In their paper published in Neuromodulation, authors Sadaf Soloukey and colleagues from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, refer to their study as the “first of its kind” to demonstrate the potential of the DRG as a new target for reproducible and potentially weight-bearing muscle recruitment in this particular cohort of patients.
Quadriplegic Record-Breaking Esports Gamer RockyNoHands Signs with Luminosity
Rocky Stoutenburgh, a.k.a. RockyNoHands, has just made history yet again. The pro gamer was previously inducted into the Guinness World Records 2020 and Guinness World Records 2020 Gamer’s Edition, earning two different records in Fortnite while using a mouth-operated joystick. Now, according to a report from TheGamer, RockyNoHands has become the first quadriplegic gamer to be signed to a professional esports organization.
Osmotic therapy device reduces swelling to prevent secondary injuries in rats
Improving treatment of spinal cord injuries
When injured, the spinal cord swells, restricting blood flow and causing critical and permanent motor, sensory, and autonomic function damage. Rapid prevention of spinal cord swelling immediately after injury is key to preventing more serious damage. The only treatment to date has been steroid therapy with methylprednisolone, which is minimally effective.
Implanted Neural Stem Cell Grafts Show Functionality in Spinal Cord Injuries
In mouse studies, the specialized grafts integrated with host networks and behaved much like neurons in a healthy, undamaged spinal cord
Using stem cells to restore lost functions due to spinal cord injury (SCI) has long been an ambition of scientists and doctors. Nearly 18,000 people in the United States suffer SCIs each year, with another 294,000 persons living with an SCI, usually involving some degree of permanent paralysis or diminished physical function, such as bladder control or difficulty breathing.
Paralyzed man has sense of touch restored by brain-machine interface
This is the first BMI to restore movement and touch simultaneously
Ten years ago, while on vacation in North Carolina, Ian Burkhart broke his neck in a diving accident. The diagnosis was as life-changing as the injury: a complete spinal cord injury in the cervical spine. An injury of this nature often results in paraplegia. Burkhart might regain some movement and sensation in his shoulders and upper arm, doctors said. But the chances of ever moving his hands again were slim.
Mouse study shows spinal cord injury causes bone marrow failure syndrome
Research conducted at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The Ohio State University College of Medicine found that spinal cord injuries in mice cause an acquired bone marrow failure syndrome that may contribute to chronic immune dysfunction.
“We also found that it’s possible to overcome certain aspects of spinal cord injury-induced bone marrow failure.
Sports Apparel Doesn’t Always Fit Wheelchair Athletes. This Designer Wants to Change That
An elite runner with Olympic genes created a collection just for Paralympians as the capstone project for her master’s degree.
In an effort to make the country’s fastest runners even faster, Team USA’s running uniforms for the 2016 Rio Olympics featured a detail called AeroBlades—small triangles raised off the clothing, which were designed to better channel air flow around the athlete.
