Living With a Spinal Cord Injury-The Search for a Cure

Living With a Spinal Cord Injury-The Search for a Cure In the past, the results of a spinal cord injury were considered permanent, but new research is changing this outlook. There may be a cure for paralysis some day.

Major research areas for SCIs include ways to stimulate activity in damaged nerve cells (neurorestorative), stimulate growth in damaged nerve cells (neuroregenerative), transplant new nerve tissue into the spinal cord (neuroconstructive), and insert genes into the spinal cord (neurogenetic). Research is also looking at ways to improve what people with SCIs can do physically (functional research).

Recommended Related to Brain & Nervous System

Chiari Malformation

Chiari malformations are structural defects in the cerebellum. That's the part of the brain that controls balance.Some people with Chiari malformations may have no symptoms. Others may have symptoms such as: dizziness muscle weakness numbness vision problems headaches problems with balance and coordinationChiari malformations affect females more often than males.Scientists once believed that Chiari malformations occurred in only 1 in every 1,000...

Read the Chiari Malformation article > >

Spinal cord injuries are extremely complex. And research must move from theory to practical and from animal studies to human studies. When a treatment is being studied in humans, it must be proved beneficial and safe. And it can take years before a new treatment reaches the public.

In this article