Spinal Injury Essay, Research Paper

Discusses a possibly new treatment for spinal injury. Scientists may have discovered a new treatment for spinal cord injuries by regenerating the cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The key to is to regenerate the damaged nerve fibers. The major problem is that damage to the brain and spinal cord is permanent and does not heal by itself. One of the reasons that this happens is because of the scar tissue that is formed at the injury site and as a result blocks nerve fiber regeneration. The researchers found a way to remove this block by using a bacterial enzyme called chondroitinase.

The enzyme was used on rats with injured spinal cords and test showed that they had gotten back a lot of the lost neurological functions. Although currently human patients do not receive treatment to promote nerve regeneration after cord injury it is hoped that this new technique will bring more options in the future for this kind of injury.