New Research at Tufts U. Sheds Light on Neuroscience, Possibilities for Spinal Cord Injury Treatments

Unlike tissues such as skin and bone, the cells of the central nervous system in an adult are notoriously resistant to healing. (Photo Credit: www.Now.Tufts.Edu)Spinal cord injury has always been a complicated area in neuroscience. However, recent research by Professor Eric Frank’s molecular physiology lab at Tufts University has made a breakthrough in understanding the central nervous system. Since 2005, the lab has been exploring the growth of nerve cells and its effects.  Researchers Pamela Harvey and Laura Wong have found that artemin protein can stimulate the growth of sensory nerve fibers to regenerate. Based on this finding, Wong has done further experiments to show that the new neurons can make organized connections with their counterparts inside the spinal cord and the brain stem under the stimulus of artemin. Wong remarks, “All the regeneration in the world isn’t going to make any difference if they don’t reconnect. You are still not going to get any function.” Although it seems that artemin can improve the situation after nerve cells are damaged, further evidence is needed to prove it can work on humans.

More information is available at: http://now.tufts.edu/articles/hope-spinal-cord-injuries