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Spinal cord injury research to focus on immediate impactRSS Feed

08 February 2010

A new research project is set to examine the immediate impact of spinal cord injuries on the body's major organs and systems.

Although much is known about the longer-term effects of such injuries, scientists at the Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in the US are aiming to plug gaps in knowledge concerning the first 60 days after an accident, Deseret News reports.

They will assess the impact of spinal cord injuries on the heart, lungs, circulation system, muscle tissue, bone density, hormone production and nutrition.

"There may be some surprises in terms of how things change with chemicals or hormones in the body," explained Dr Mark Stevens, medical director of trauma services at IMC.

While some nerves are destroyed as a direct result of an accident, he stated that it may be possible to prevent secondary damage to nerves that were not completely severed.

Meanwhile, experts at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a new therapy that has the potential to help patients walk again after suffering serious spinal cord injuries.

In the study, which was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists modified mouse genes so that a blue light could stimulate neurons and generate a walking-like motor activity.

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