Glimmer of Hope for Spine-Injury Victims
It's just in rats for now, but scientists have induced spinal cord regrowth by taking tiny nerves from the rib cage, bathing them in a growth-inducing protein, and then grafting them into the area of the cut spinal cord. "By using tiny nerves from the rib cage as cables connecting the severed spinal cord, we were able to get some improvement in leg function," said Dr. Vernon Lin, a professor of physical medicine at the University of California at Irvine and director of the Spinal Cord Injury Group at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Lin's study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, suggests that humans with spinal cord injuries could one day soon have improved treatments for their conditions. In the experiment, the growth inducer was a molecule known as aFGF, which is found naturally in most nerve cells.
The rats, all of which had severed spinal cords, were divided into three groups. The one that got both aFGF and nerve implants were able to move their hind legs and, at the end of the study, could support some of their weight on their legs. Rats that received just aFGF improved hardly at all. The same was true for those receiving only nerve cell grafts.
"Regeneration is considered very difficult, because the damaged area apparently inhibits growth of new nerve-cell connections," Lin said. "This study gets us closer to arriving at the right combination of growth factors, nerve cells and physical stimulation to overcome these inhibitions and successfully treat spinal cord injury."
Disclaimer
Featured Doctors
Hip Pain/ Hip Surgery Westchester, NY
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Spine Surgery Westchester, New York
Neurological and Spine Surgery Associates, P.C.
Neurological and Spine Surgery Associates, P.C.
19 Bradhurst Ave., Ste. 2800
Hawthorne, NY 10532
Call: (888) 766-1480
Arthroscopic Surgery
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Hip Pain/ Hip Surgery Westchester, NY
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy/Speech Therapy Westchester
Outpatient Services | Rehabilitation & Occupational Therapy
Lawrence Hospital Center | Outpatient
55 Palmer Avenue
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 245-5611
Hand Surgeon / Orthopedic Westchester, NY
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Knee Ligament Injuries / Knee Pain Manhattan, NYC
Columbia Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine
622 West 168 Street, PH11-Center
Manhattan North, NY 10032
Call: 888-687-9022
Lower Back Pain Relief Essex County, NJ
Peter Ferraro, D.C.
Chiropractic Physician
224 Midland Ave
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
Call: 877-685-2624
Back Pain New Jersey
Damon Noto, MD
Noto, MD
777 Terrace Avenue, 4th Floor
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
Call: 866-385-8138
Herniated Disc New Jersey
Ronald Spiaggia
Performance Rehabilitation & Sports Injury Center
459 Watchung Avenue
Watchung, NJ 07069
Call: 888-897-4870
Physical Therapy Bergen County, NJ
MedWell, L.L.C.
MedWell Spine & Neuropathy Center
33 Central Ave
Midland Park, NJ 07432
Call: (888) 820-2250
Hand Surgeon / Orthopedic Westchester, NY
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Igor Povzhitkov, MD
Institute for Diagnosis & Treatment of Pain
IDTP
33-00 Broadway Suite 209
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410-4617
Call: 877-386-9021
Lower Back Pain Relief Essex County, NJ
Peter Ferraro, D.C.
Chiropractic Physician
224 Midland Ave
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
Call: 877-685-2624
Arthritis Pain Morris County, NJ
Peter Ferraro, D.C.
Ferraro Spine & Rehabilitation
Coming soon
to Rutherford NJ,
Call: 888-895-3840
Shoulder Replacement New Jersey
Roger Pollock
Dr. Roger Pollock, M.D.
suite 202 One West Ridgewood Avenue
Paramus, New jersey 07652
Call: (888) 631-1911
Complimentary Medicine Norwalk, Connecticut
Associates in Family Chiropractic & Natural Health Care, P.C.
156 East Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
Call: (203) 242-0165
Orthopedic Surgeon/Surgery Westchester
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopediacs & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Doc Russ the Betterness® Coach
Russ D'HommeDieu DPT
The Betterness Institute
521 5th Avenue
New York City, NY 10175
Call: 888-4doc-russ
Arthroscopic Surgery
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Lawrence Hospital Center | Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
55 Palmer Avenue, First Floor
Bronxville, NY 10708
Call: (888) 729-2857
Laser Spine Surgery Center
James Ghadially, M.D.
Offices also in San Antonio & Beaumont
2616 S. Loop West, Ste 170B
Houston, Texas 77054
Call: 800-680-9526
Spine Surgery Westchester, NY
Bennie Chiles
Westchester Spine and Brain Surgery, PLLC
280 N. Central Ave Suite 235
Hartsdale, NY 10530
Call: (888) 281-4568
Pain Management and Relief Manhattan
Steven S. Moalemi, M.D.
Empire Physical Medicine & Pain Management
551 5th Avenue Ste. 525
New York, NY 10176
Call: (888) 898-7795
Allergy Treatment Fairfield, CT
Associates in Family Chiropractic & Natural Health Care, P.C.
156 East Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
Call: (203) 242-0165
Specialities
- Acupuncture
- Alternative Medicine
- Bariatric Surgery
- Breast Surgery
- Cancer Treatment
- Cardiology
- Chiropractic
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Facial Enhancement
- Fertility Treatment
- Foot Specialist
- Foot Surgery
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Geriatrics
- Hair Replacement
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Infertility Treatment
- Integrative Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- LASIK
- Laser Hair Removal
- Medical Editorial Board
- Medical Spa
- Medical Testing
- Neurology
- Nursing Home Services
- Nutrition and Diet
- Obstetrician & Gynecology
- Oncology & Cancer
- Oncology Center
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Pain Management
- Physical Therapy
- Plastic Surgery
- Podiatry
- Spinal Decompression
- Spine Surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Stem Cell Therapy
- Thoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Vein Surgery
- Weight Loss












