(STUDY FINDS) – Scientists have successfully enabled paralyzed mice to walk again by restoring neurons after a spinal cord injury. This breakthrough holds “significant promise” for people hoping to regain movement after sustaining severe injuries.
A collaborative team of neuroscientists from UCLA, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Harvard University achieved this by regenerating specific neurons back to their natural target regions. This led to recovery from complete spinal cord injuries in mice.
The researchers embarked on this study to determine whether directing the regeneration of axons from specific neuronal subpopulations to their natural target regions could lead to meaningful functional restoration after spinal cord injury in mice. They initially utilized advanced genetic analysis to identify nerve cell groups that enhance walking improvement after a partial spinal cord injury.
