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A visualization of a spinal cord with neurons highlighted in red
Scientists Identify Neurons Needed to Walk After Paralysis
Nine people with spinal injuries walked again after electrical stimulation, allowing researchers to pinpoint neurons likely underlying their recovery.
Scientists Identify Neurons Needed to Walk After Paralysis
Scientists Identify Neurons Needed to Walk After Paralysis

Nine people with spinal injuries walked again after electrical stimulation, allowing researchers to pinpoint neurons likely underlying their recovery.

Nine people with spinal injuries walked again after electrical stimulation, allowing researchers to pinpoint neurons likely underlying their recovery.

spinal cord

white mouse sitting down
Drug Spurs Neuron Growth in Mice with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Sep 27, 2022 | 4 min read
A protein duo increases transcription of growth-related genes to enhance axon regeneration and boost plasticity, a study finds—but fails to improve mobility.
Illustration of a rat with red, white and blue sections
Hormones May Contribute to Asymmetrical Effects of Brain Injury
Catherine Offord | Sep 2, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers studying rats claim to have found a novel connection between damage on one side of the brain and problems with the posture or movement of limbs on the opposite side of the body.
two doctors looking at a medical monitor showing electrodes being inserted near a person's spinal cord
Low Frequency Electric Stimulation Can Treat Back Pain: Study
Emma Yasinski | Sep 2, 2021 | 3 min read
Patients in a small trial said their chronic pain improved an average of 90 percent over the course of 15 days, but returned shortly after the electrical stimulation sessions ended.
Discovering the Secrets of Motor Neurons with Single Cell Sequencing
LabTalk Podcast - Discovering the Secrets of Motor Neurons with Single Cell Sequencing
The Scientist and 10x Genomics | May 5, 2021 | 1 min read
Researchers identify new motor neuron subgroups and gain insights into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Infographic: How Weight Lifting Changes Monkeys’ Neural Connections
Jef Akst | Oct 1, 2020 | 1 min read
After weeks of training, the muscles of two macaques exhibited greater responses to stimulation of the reticulospinal tract in the brain stem than they had before, suggesting that strengthening the neural pathway is key to getting stronger. 
Neural Connections Bolstered in Monkeys That Lift Weights
Jef Akst | Oct 1, 2020 | 3 min read
A study in two macaques reveals the importance of increasing connectivity between muscles and the reticulospinal tract that runs from the brain stem down the spinal cord.
Image of the Day: Muting Muscle Spasms
Amy Schleunes | Apr 16, 2020 | 1 min read
Nimodipine, a drug used to treat brain hemorrhages, alleviates spasticity in mice after spinal cord injuries.
3D model of a spinal tap
Image of the Day: Spinal Tap
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 29, 2019 | 2 min read
A medical art student’s master’s project will be used to help train junior physicians to perform lumbar punctures.
JHU Researchers Harmed Dogs, Animal Rights Group Argues
Ashley Yeager | Aug 15, 2019 | 2 min read
Stop Animal Exploitation Now issues a federal complaint against Johns Hopkins scientists, saying they messed up surgeries on nine animals.
FDA Approves Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Ashley Yeager | May 27, 2019 | 3 min read
At $2 million for a single dose, Novartis’s Zolgensma is the most expensive medicine to date, but still less expensive over a lifetime than another approved drug for the rare genetic disease.
Image of the Day: Neuron Guides
Carolyn Wilke | Mar 27, 2019 | 1 min read
A gene helps motor neurons successfully venture out from the spinal cord to muscles during mouse development.
Japan Approves iPS Cell Therapy Trial for Spinal Cord Injury
Catherine Offord | Feb 18, 2019 | 1 min read
The treatment will be tested in a handful of patients who suffered nerve damage in sports or traffic accidents.
Image of the Day: Spontaneous Regeneration
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 6, 2019 | 1 min read
The eel-like lamprey can return to normal swimming and burrowing after suffering a severed spinal cord twice.
Nerve Stimulation Gives Paralyzed People Ability to Walk
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 31, 2018 | 4 min read
Precisely timed electrical stimulation and intensive rehabilitation restore some capacity to walk among three men more than four years after their debilitating injuries.
Researchers Develop Potential Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease
Catherine Offord | Feb 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The test uses levels of plasma amyloid-β to estimate the buildup of protein plaques in the brain.
Image of the Day: Tubular Origins
The Scientist | Mar 22, 2017 | 1 min read
Murine neural tubes, with each image highlighting a different embryonic tissue type (blue). The neural tube itself (left) grows into the brain, spine, and nerves, while the mesoderm (middle) develops into other organs, and the ectoderm (right) forms skin, teeth, and hair.
Spinal Cord Injury Researcher Dies
Jef Akst | Feb 22, 2017 | 2 min read
Neuroscientist Geoffrey Raisman pioneered the study of spinal cord injury and the use of cell transplants to repair the damage.
pH Detectors in Lamprey Spinal Cords Control Cell and Locomotor Activity
Alison F. Takemura | Sep 1, 2016 | 2 min read
Neurons in the lamprey spinal cord can sense pH and counteract changes from the body’s optimal range.
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