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Scientists Restore Walking After Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking. Until now, doctors believed that the only way for injured patients to walk again was to re-grow the long nerve highways that link the brain and base of the spinal cord. For the first time, a UCLA study shows that the central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for movement. The lead researcher said, "This pessimistic view [that severe injury to the spinal cord means permanent paralysis] has changed over my lifetime, and our findings add to a growing body of research showing that the nervous system can reorganize after injury."

2 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Yikes by Nerdposeur · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wow. It's pretty sick for you to immediately jump from the concept of loving parenting to the concept of child abuse.

  2. Re:Good news for paraplegic mice! by BVis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If only your mother had had the foresight to abort YOU.

    News flash: that isn't your body or your "kid". You don't like it, write your congressman. If a majority of the people want abortion outlawed, it will be. Until then, you're out of luck. Why don't you ask your imaginary friend Jesus to help you.

    Posting under my real login because 1) my karma can take it 2) I'm not a coward.

    --
    Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.