New Hope For Spinal Cord Injury

Researchers announced last week that they had enabled paralyzed rats to walk while supporting their own weight.  It was done through a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise.  Researches found that regeneration of severed nerve fibers is not required for the animals to learn to walk again. 

“Spine cells in mammals generate a current that helps make muscles and parts of the body move. If we can find ways to harness that current and stimulate appropriate areas with electrical stimulation to enhance that current, we may be able to help people who have complete spinal cord injuries stand and walk on their own,” according to Dr. Susan Harkema at the University of Louisville.

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Source: http://php.louisville.edu/advancement/ocm/news/release.php?relid=1249