In the complex and dangerous realm of the spinal cord, scientists are on the verge of breakthrough. The body cannot naturally repair functions in the brain or the spinal cord and surgery is incredibly risky as the spinal cord is the connecting point of nearly every nerve to the brain. If the spinal cord is damaged there has been little hope for complete recovery. However BBC News reports that a team of scientists at the University of Cambridge is “developing a treatment which could potentially allow damaged nerve fibres to regenerate within the spinal cord.” This brings great hope to people who suffer with major conditions such as paralysis and others like a loss of sensation. According to the report over 40,000 people in the UK suffer with spinal injuries that have a great impact on their life.
Damage to the spinal cord can be caused by trauma such as a car accident, a fall or in by gunshot; other causes are usually by disease, for example polio, or spina bifida. The range of injuries illustrates that spinal cord injuries are different from back injuries such as ruptured disks or pinched nerves and have a greater impact on mobility and sensation as there is a loss of function.
The spinal cord uses motor neurons to pass messages back and forth from the brain making this cord a hub of activity. When an injury occurs, the scar tissue builds up at the site of injury, and blocks the regeneration process. The BBC reports that “The Cambridge team has identified a bacteria enzyme called chondroitinase which is capable of digesting molecules within scar tissue to allow some nerve fibres to regrow.”
This fantastic development needs to be trialled on patients, but the possibility that the spinal cord can be repaired after injury could be the revolutionary advancement that will bring a transformation to 40,000 lives.
The paper led by Professor James Fawcett discusses the possibility of plasticity in bypassing the scar tissue area so that the motor neurons can still pass messages to and from the brain. To read more please see www.brain.oxfordjournals.org