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."

Comments

Re:Good news for paraplegic mice!

[Anonymous Coward]

One more heart that was stopped. Two more eyes that will never see. Two more hands that will never touch. Two more legs that will never run. One more mouth that will never speak. Good news indeed!

Would someone think of the catholic saints?

[aadvancedGIR]

Come on, these people need at least a miracle in their career to reach sainthood. Removing one of their major category of surnatural recovery is a direct assault to the religion by those b*stard scientists!

Re:Good news for paraplegic mice!

[Reality Master 101]

Do you get that? It's a woman's fetus.

So you wouldn't of had a problem with your wife deciding to abort the day before the birth because she changed her mind? After all, it's "her fetus".

The government shouldn't tell women what to do with their bodies, but the *fetus* should. They have a natural right to temporary ownership of the woman's body. But since the fetus can't tell us yet, we have to wait until it can. Should the new life decide it didn't want to be born, it can take the necessary steps at that time.

Oh, it's wonderful to see that ultrasound, but is it a person? Nunh-uh.

A newborn isn't a "person" in the sense of having sentience, either. They don't develop that until about three months. So do you support post-birth abortion in the first three months, since there is no "person" involved?