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Posted on Jul 23, 2013, 6 a.m.
Scientists successfully reconnect severed spinal cords, in a lab animal model of spinal cord injury
Scientists from Case Western Reserve University (Ohio, USA) and The Cleveland Clinic (Ohio, USA) have found a way to reconnect severed spinal cords in rats, allowing them to regain bladder control. A combined approach involving surgery and two chemicals, chondroitinase and FGF, that appear to encourage continued nerve cell regrowth. After six months of growth, the rats demonstrated near-normal bladder control--it seems that the nerves had recuperated enough for brain-spinal cord-bladder communication to work once more. With the study authors writing that: “Our studies provide evidence that an enhanced nerve grafting strategy represents a potential regenerative treatment after severe spinal cord injury,” it is hoped that this research may lead one day to helping humans with spinal cord injuries to recover lost abilities.
Yu-Shang Lee, Ching-Yi Lin, Hai-Hong Jiang, Marc DePaul, Vernon W. Lin, Jerry Silver. “Nerve Regeneration Restores Supraspinal Control of Bladder Function after Complete Spinal Cord Injury.” The Journal of Neuroscience, 26 June 2013, 33(26):10591-10606.