After spinal cord injury, neurons wreak havoc on metabolism

Conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and vascular diseases commonly diagnosed in people with spinal cord injuries can be traced to abnormal post-injury neuronal activity that causes abdominal fat tissue compounds to leak and pool in the liver and other organs, a new animal study has found.

Mount Sinai Is First in New York to Study a Brain-Computer Interface Designed to Record and Map the Brain’s Activity in Unprecedented Detail

A multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are the first in New York to study a new brain-computer interface that’s engineered to map a large area of the brain’s surface, in real time, at resolutions hundreds of times more detailed than typical arrays used in neurosurgical procedures.

Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Centers Ranked Among the Best in the United States by Newsweek

Top rankings include Mount Sinai Morningside and The Mount Sinai Hospital, with stroke rehabilitation a standout program

Department of Defense Grants University of Miami Researcher $3.25 Million to Study Male Infertility after Spinal Cord Injury

Emad Ibrahim, M.D., director of the Male Fertility Research Program at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the clinical andrology lab at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been awarded a $3.25 million grant by the Department of Defense for a four-year study on the use of an oral medication to treat an infertility issue that affects most men with spinal cord injury.

Social support promotes rehab participation in mice after spinal cord injury

A research finding in mice that gabapentin improved rehab compliance after spinal cord injury led scientists to a related, unexpected discovery: Injured mice that didn’t receive the drug and declined to exercise by themselves were willing to hop on the treadmill for a group rehab option.

Mayo Clinic Healthcare expert explains when swallowing issues are more than an accident

Many people have experienced the discomfort of food or a beverage accidentally going to the wrong place when swallowing. But swallowing issues sometimes become chronic and may be a sign of a health condition that should be treated.

Michigan Medicine receives grant recognizing it as a top U.S. program for spinal cord injury

Michigan Medicine’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation received a federal research grant for spinal cord injury – reflecting its comprehensive care for patients with SCI and signifying the program as a national leader in the field. Michigan Medicine rejoins the Spinal Cord Injury Model System program, a network of health systems supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Injectable Porous Scaffolds Promote Better, Quicker Healing After Spinal Cord Injuries

In APL Bioengineering, researchers have developed materials that can interface with an injured spinal cord and provide a scaffolding to facilitate healing. To do this, scaffolding materials need to mimic the natural spinal cord tissue, so they can be readily populated by native cells in the spinal cord, essentially filling in gaps left by injury. The researchers show how the pores improve efficiency of gene therapies administered locally to the injured tissues, which can further promote tissue regeneration.

BFFs: How Physical Exercise Impacts Brain Blood Flow, Memory after Paralysis

Thanks to advances in health care in the past several decades, more than 90% of people who have had a spinal cord injury survive beyond the first year. The focus now is managing the long-term impact of spinal cord injury…

How Does Intermittent Hypoxia Amplify the Functional Benefits of Task-specific Rehabilitation after Spinal Cord Injury?

Spinal cord injury impairs motor function, leading to chronic disability. Traditional exercise-based (task-specific) training alone is insufficient to restore motor function. An emerging rehabilitation strategy is to precondition the nervous system by breathing repeated episodes of low oxygen, a treatment…

Mouse Study Shows Spinal Cord Injury Causes Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome

Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine found that spinal cord injuries in mice cause an acquired bone marrow failure syndrome that may contribute to chronic immune dysfunction.

Time-saving high-intensity workouts can benefit people with spinal cord injuries, researchers find

Research from the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University has found that the practical advantages of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), or short bursts of all-out exercise, could be especially beneficial for people who have experienced spinal cord injuries (SCI).

Scientists show MRI predicts the efficacy of a stem cell therapy for brain injury

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and Loma Linda University Health have demonstrated the promise of applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the efficacy of using human neural stem cells to treat a brain injury—a first-ever “biomarker” for regenerative medicine that could help personalize stem cell treatments for neurological disorders and improve efficacy. The study was published in Cell Reports.

Synapse Biomedical receives FDA emergency approval to use temporary breathing pacing device for COVID-19

Synapse Biomedical, a spin out company from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), has received FDA approval for emergency use of its TransAeris Diaphragmatic Pacing Stimulator System to help wean any patient off of the ventilator including COVID-19 patients. Diaphragm pacing has the potential of freeing up ventilators as patients could be moved off of ventilators and placed on the pacing system.

Mayo Clinic research discovers a molecular switch for repairing central nervous system disorders

A molecular switch has the ability to turn on a substance in animals that repairs neurological damage in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Mayo Clinic researchers discovered.