Browse the latest research summaries in the field of neurology for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 331-340 of 5,401 results
BioMed Research International, 2014 • May 20, 2014
This study investigates the role of lithium in treating brachial plexus injury with root avulsion in rats. The researchers found that root avulsion stimulates GSK-3β activation in the injured spinal c...
KEY FINDING: Root avulsion injury triggers GSK-3β activation in the injured motoneurons and remaining axons in the ventral funiculus.
J Chem Neuroanat, 2014 • November 1, 2014
This study details the distribution of PlexinA4 in the adult rat cranial nerves, finding it present in all nerves surveyed including sensory and motor nerves. The consistent presence of PlexinA4 in ad...
KEY FINDING: PlexinA4 is expressed in the olfactory nerve, specifically in the olfactory bulb by mitral cells and in axons of the lateral olfactory tract.
Neural Regen Res, 2014 • February 1, 2014
Glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS) contribute to formation of the extracellular matrix, which provides adhesive sites, signaling molecules, and a diffusion barrier to enhance efficient ne...
KEY FINDING: Following CNS injury, glial cells activate and alter the ECM composition at the lesion border, creating a growth-inhibitory environment.
PLoS ONE, 2014 • July 8, 2014
The study aimed to assess the impact of absent corticospinal input on recovery from brachial plexus injury (BPI) using a mouse model with congenital absence of the corticospinal tract (CST). Results i...
KEY FINDING: Mice lacking the corticospinal tract (CST) showed impaired recovery of elbow flexion after brachial plexus injury and root re-implantation, as measured by grooming tests and Catwalk analysis.
SpringerPlus, 2014 • June 24, 2014
This study aimed to establish a standardized laparoscopic approach for pudendal nerve localization and electrode implantation in pigs. The laparoscopic technique proved feasible, reproducible, and saf...
KEY FINDING: Laparoscopic access to the pudendal nerve was successfully established in all pigs.
Glia, 2014 • December 1, 2014
The study compared behavioral outcome, axonal remodeling, and CSPG expression between wild-type (WT) and GFAP−/−Vim−/− mice after stroke. Motor functional recovery and CST axonal length were significa...
KEY FINDING: GFAP−/−Vim−/− mice exhibited reduced motor functional recovery and BDA-positive CST axonal length compared to WT mice after stroke.
PLoS ONE, 2014 • July 22, 2014
This study investigated cell proliferation and neurogenesis in remote CNS areas following a contusion injury in rats to understand spontaneous locomotor recovery. The study found no evidence of neurog...
KEY FINDING: Thoracic spinal cord contusion injury induces complete paresis of both hindlimbs in rats.
The Journal of Neuroscience, 2014 • July 23, 2014
This study examined the effects of PTEN knockdown and salmon fibrin injection on corticospinal tract (CST) regeneration and motor function recovery in adult rats after spinal cord injury (SCI). The co...
KEY FINDING: AAVshRNA-mediated suppression of PTEN in adult cortical motoneurons enhances regenerative growth of CST axons after SCI.
Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2014 • July 25, 2014
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in neuronal and glial death and the loss of axons at the injury site. Inflammation after SCI leads to the inhibition of tissue regeneration and reduced neuronal surviv...
KEY FINDING: RAGE and its ligands appears to contribute to the inflammatory response caused by SCI by regulating the secretion of cytokines and chemokines and modulating apoptosis signaling
PLoS ONE, 2014 • August 6, 2014
This study investigates the role of b1-integrin signaling in regulating astrocytic differentiation of neural stem cells after nervous system injury, focusing on glial scar formation. The research demo...
KEY FINDING: b1-integrin signaling suppresses astrocytic differentiation of both cultured ependymal stem cells (ESCs) and subventricular zone (SVZ) progenitor cells.