Browse the latest research summaries in the field of regenerative medicine for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 221-230 of 2,298 results
BMC Biology, 2014 • June 12, 2014
The study demonstrates that increased microtubule dynamics in the growth cone are associated with enhanced axonal growth, particularly after a conditioning lesion. GSK3β, a kinase regulating microtubu...
KEY FINDING: Decreased GSK3β activity and increased microtubule growth speed are present in conditioned neurons with high regenerative capacity.
BMC Developmental Biology, 2014 • June 18, 2014
This study investigates the role of hedgehog signaling in tail regeneration of Xenopus tadpoles, focusing on the expression of Sonic hedgehog (Shh). The research finds that Shh is exclusively expresse...
KEY FINDING: Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is expressed exclusively in the notochord during tail regeneration in Xenopus tadpoles.
PLoS ONE, 2014 • June 19, 2014
The study aimed to determine the effect of STAT3 inhibition on human neural stem cells (hNSCs) to enhance motor neuron differentiation. FGF2 priming reduces tyrosine phosphorylated STAT3 in hNSCs, and...
KEY FINDING: hNSCs primed with FGF2 exhibited a lower level of phosphorylated STAT3 compared to cells primed with EGF.
PNAS, 2014 • July 8, 2014
The study investigates the role of the peripheral nervous system in tissue replacement in mammalian appendages using clonal analysis of mouse hind limb tissues. The findings indicate that while tissue...
KEY FINDING: Cellular turnover, replacement, and differentiation from presumed tissue stem/progenitor cells within hind limb tissues remain largely intact independent of nerve and nerve-derived factors.
Neural Plasticity, 2014 • May 22, 2014
The review explores the link between hippocampal neurogenesis and the action of antidepressant therapies, particularly ECT. While speculations about this connection have existed for over a decade, con...
KEY FINDING: Experimental ECS enhances neurogenesis in various species. A close relationship exists between hippocampal function and mood regulation.
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.
Exp Neurol, 2014 • November 1, 2014
This study replicated some, but not all, of the previously reported benefits of Taxol in rat models of spinal cord injury. Taxol was found to reduce fibrotic scarring in both dorsal hemisection (DHx) ...
KEY FINDING: Taxol significantly reduced scarring at the injury site after dorsal spinal hemisection (DHx).
Exp Neurol, 2014 • August 1, 2014
This review examines immune responses to spinal cord injury (SCI) in non-mammalian vertebrates, which often exhibit significant spontaneous recovery. Identifying the mechanisms behind their regenerati...
KEY FINDING: Lampreys, zebrafish, salamanders, frogs, and turtles exhibit axon regeneration after spinal cord injury, followed by a glial bridge formation.
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.