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Scientists Coax Nerve Fibers To Regrow

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sweet-talking-flowers-and-chocolate-also-employed dept.

Malthooslie writes to tell us ScienceDaily is reporting that scientists have managed to regrow nerve fibers after a spinal injury. Using an enzyme called sialidase, isolated from bacteria, researchers were able to stimulate nerve fiber growth in rats. From the article: "While surgeons can sometimes reattach the yanked nerves to the spinal cord, this treatment is not as effective as physicians or patients would like. This is in part because nerves in the brain and spinal cord, unlike those in the rest of the body, fail to grow new nerve fibers. Nerves in the brain and spinal cord are surrounded by signals from other cells in the injured area that stop them from growing."

8 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Headline by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 4, Funny

    And to think, all this time the secret was lying right behind the television.

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    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  2. yeah by r00t · · Score: 3, Funny

    Something about this treatment... doesn't it make you nervous?

  3. They coaxed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    They coaxed, did they? Persuaded, gradually and by flattery, to do something?... ooooooh.. you are such a nice nerve... you put other nerves to shame.... Oh comon just regrow a bit!! Just a tiny bit!! You look so great when you regrow....

    Honestly the nerve... flattery gets you nowhere.

  4. Me, myself... by QuantumFTL · · Score: 3, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new neural-regnerating rodent overlords...

  5. Scientists coax /. stories forward in time by davidwr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scientists from the Cowboy Neal Temporal Institute released a study in which stories posted to Slashdot transported themselves almost a month into the future. This research is preliminary, but Dr. Neal hopes that someday soon, we will be able to read about the moon landing, Columbus's voyages, and even the birth of the Universe as they happened.

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    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  6. Re:OW!! by Scarletdown · · Score: 1, Funny

    Well, you have some nerve attempting to legislate humor. ;)

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    This space unintentionally left blank.
  7. Re:Help my memory by ultranova · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, that is pretty funny. I just watched a show on the science channel where the repaired a mouses spinal cord. Thing is, you never hear about human trials. Maybe mice are just really good at re-growing spinal cords.

    No, they're just really bad at calling lawyers if something goes wrong.

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    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  8. Re:OW!! by GreyPoopon · · Score: 3, Funny
    Well, you have some nerve attempting to legislate humor. ;)
    Stop it! You're going to give me a nervous breakdown!
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    GreyPoopon
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    Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?