Browse the latest research summaries in the field of genetics for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 81-90 of 1,773 results
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA, 2013 • May 15, 2013
This study shows the pattern of Ryk receptor expression in the unlesioned adult spinal cord, in neurons (mainly in the ventral horns), astrocytes close to the pial surface, and blood vessels. We also ...
KEY FINDING: Ryk mRNA expression increased from 24 hours post-injury until 7 days post-injury.
Exp Neurol, 2013 • September 1, 2013
This study investigates the effects of structurally diverse aggrecan variants on sensory neuron growth cones and filopodia in vitro, modeling their first contact with glial scar CSPGs following spinal...
KEY FINDING: Mutant CHO-745 aggrecan (lacking chondroitin sulfate chains) permitted extensive growth across the PG stripe.
PLoS ONE, 2013 • March 4, 2013
The study introduces a robust zebrafish primary neuron culture system for functional nerve growth and guidance assays. Distinct classes of central nervous system neurons were dissociated and plated on...
KEY FINDING: Zebrafish neurons in culture extend axons with dynamic growth cones, exhibiting an average extension rate of 21.461.2 mm/hr for spinal cord neurons.
ACS Chem Biol., 2013 • May 17, 2013
The study developed a high-content analysis (HCA) screening bioassay using primary mammalian neurons to identify small-molecule PKIs that can promote neurite growth. Screening a library of 240 PKIs re...
KEY FINDING: A robust cell-based assay with a Z′-factor of 0.73 was developed, indicating high reliability and suitability for medium throughput screening.
Cell Death and Disease, 2013 • March 14, 2013
This study investigates the mechanisms by which neuroinflammatory processes induce neural precursor cell (NPC) death, focusing on the role of microglia and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). The research...
KEY FINDING: TNFa produced by LPS-activated microglia is necessary and sufficient to trigger apoptosis in mouse NPCs in vitro.
Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2013 • March 28, 2013
This article presents an experimental method to investigate the cellular responses to CNS injury in Drosophila larvae. The method involves inflicting a lesion on the larval VNC with a tungsten needle ...
KEY FINDING: Stabbing injury to the larval VNC results in a visible lesion that can be tracked over time using GFP markers, with the wound area initially expanding before shrinking.
Trends Neurosci, 2013 • June 1, 2013
CNS regeneration inhibitors, including Nogo-A, OMgp, and CSPGs, have novel functions in regulating dendritic spine maturation, synapse stability, and synaptic plasticity in the naïve CNS. These inhibi...
KEY FINDING: CNS regeneration inhibitors like Nogo-A and CSPGs promote dendritic spine maturation and stability, influencing neuronal structure in a cell-autonomous manner.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, 2013 • June 21, 2013
This study aimed to understand how HMGB1, a protein known to mediate inflammation in mammalian spinal cord injuries, functions in animals capable of spontaneous spinal cord regeneration, specifically ...
KEY FINDING: Gecko HMGB1 paralogs (gHMGB1a and gHMGB1b) exhibit differential responses to spinal cord trauma and inflammatory challenges, with gHMGB1b significantly upregulated in the injured cord.
PLoS ONE, 2013 • May 27, 2013
The study provides a comparative analysis of prominin-1–positive progenitor cells across species, establishing a framework for further functional characterization in the context of regeneration. The r...
KEY FINDING: Prominin-1 expression is conserved in proliferative ventricular neurogenic cells across vertebrate species.
J Control Release, 2013 • September 28, 2013
The study investigates the use of polysaccharide-modified PLG scaffolds for controlled lentivirus delivery to enhance tissue regeneration, particularly in spinal cord injuries. Surface modification wi...
KEY FINDING: Chitosan and heparin modification of PLG scaffolds significantly enhanced lentivirus association and transduction efficiency in vitro compared to hyaluronan and control scaffolds.