Even as I begin writing this post, the numbers continue to grow geometrically for new coronavirus cases around the world. The day started out with around 460 cases in the USA but surpassed the 500 mark earlier than some experts expected. There are currently 538 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths in 32 states. Worldwide, the case count is 109,936. For those wanting to track the numbers worldwide, a good site to do that is https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ It’s important to be prepared for the well being of yourselves and family members. The spread of this virus will not slow anytime s ..read more

Four months after treating them, Yasuhiro Shiga, MD, PhD, checked on his rats. Walking into the lab, he carried minimal expectations. Treating spinal cord injuries with stem cells had been tried by many people, many times before, with modest success at best. The endpoint he was specifically there to measure — pain levels — hadn’t seemed to budge in past efforts. “Well, it doesn’t seem to be working. I don’t see any real change in pain behavior in any of the groups,” said Shiga, a visiting scholar at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, apologetically, as he walked into the of ..read more

Authors *I. VENKATESH1, Z. WANG2, V. MEHRA1, E. EASTWOOD1, M. SIMPSON1, A. CHAKRABORTY1, D. GROSS1, Z.BEINE1, M. CABAHUG1, G. OLSON1, M. G. BLACKMORE3;2Dept. of Biomed. Sci., 3Biomed. Sci., 1Marquette Univ., Milwaukee, WI Ishwariya Venkatesh PhD Marquette University Lab Abstract Embryonic and peripheral neurons respond to axonal injury with activation of transcriptional networks conducive to re-growth. In contrast, injured mature CNS neurons fail to re-induce appropriate transcriptional networks, resulting in failed regeneration and permanent damage. We have previously shown that forced re ..read more

Authors: *N. DE LA OLIVA1, A. E. HAGGERTY1, M. A. PEREZ1,2, M. OUDEGA1,2,3,4; 1 Miami Project To Cure Paralysis, Univ. of Miami, Miami, FL; 2 Bruce W. Carter Dept. of Veterans Affairs Med. Ctr., Miami, FL; 3 Affiliated Cancer Hosp. & Inst. of Guangzhou Med.Univ., Guangzhou, China; 4 Neurolog. Surgery, Miller Sch. of Medicine, Univ. of Miami, Miami,FL Lab Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) damages descending and ascending axons resulting in motor and sensory function impairments. Histological and electrophysiological data revealed that in most SCI patients residual axonal connections be ..read more

Authors: *S. LV1, W. WU2; 1 Guangdong-hongkong-Macau Inst. of CNS Regeneration, Guangzhou, China; 2 The Univ.Of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong Lab Abstract: Ventral root injury results in great loss of motor functions because of the inefficient axon regeneration and severe atrophy of target organ. PTEN act as a negative regulatory factor at PI3K/AKT pathway also inhibit the regeneration of axons. It has been shown that PTEN antagonist peptides(PAPs) can significantly stimulated growth of descending serotonergic fibers and sprouting of corticospinal fibers in the rostral spinal cord afte ..read more

PM Abdul Muneer PhD at SfN 2019 Poster Presentation Authors:*P. M. ABDUL-MUNEER, S. BHOWMICK, V. D’MELLO; Hackensack Meridian Hlth. JFK Med. Ctr., Edison, NJ Neuroscience 2019 LINK Lab Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when there is damage from trauma, loss of normal blood supply, or a mass effect due to compression from tumor or infection. Unlike other parts of the body, the regenerative ability of the spinal cord is relatively poor. The inability of axons to regenerate after SCI is attributable to a combination of effects of the non-permissive extrinsic factors including myelin ..read more

GTX Medical and NeuroRecovery Technologies today announced their merger into a global company for the development of neuromodulation therapies for spinal cord injuries. The two merging companies plan to develop the targeted epidural spine stimulation system, an implantable spinal cord stimulation platform designed to restore locomotion in patients with spinal cord injury with real-time motion feedback. There is also a second, non-invasive product in the works, as a transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation system is in development for the restoration of upper limb movement and hand function. SEE ..read more

QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, October 10th 2019 – Today, Laboratoires Guertin announces that a campaign for funding has been launched to support a phase IIb-enabling pilot study with a tritherapy candidate (buspirone/L-DOPA/carbidopa)called Spinalon. This experimental oral pill has been shown to trigger short episodes of rhythmic leg activity in volunteers suffering chronically a severe spinal cord injury. In 2005, Spinalon was discovered as a pharmacological approach capable of eliciting, within minutes post-administration, spinal network activation and basic weight-bearing stepping on a treadmill for ..read more

Authors: Elizabeth J. Bradbury and Emily R. Burnside Abstract: Traumatic spinal cord injury results in severe and irreversible loss of function. The injury triggers a complex cascade of inflammatory and pathological processes, culminating in formation of a scar. While traditionally referred to as a glial scar, the spinal injury scar in fact comprises multiple cellular and extracellular components. This multidimensional nature should be considered when aiming to understand the role of scarring in limiting tissue repair and recovery. In this Review we discuss recent advances in understanding th ..read more

Author: James W. Fawcett Abstract: Axon regeneration in the CNS is inhibited by many extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Because these act in parallel, no single intervention has been sufficient to enable full regeneration of damaged axons in the adult mammalian CNS. In the external environment, NogoA and CSPGs are strongly inhibitory to the regeneration of adult axons. CNS neurons lose intrinsic regenerative ability as they mature: embryonic but not mature neurons can grow axons for long distances when transplanted into the adult CNS, and regeneration fails with maturity in in vitro axotomy mo ..read more