BestOfNorthCountyLogo
Best Lawyers 2025
Justia 10 - Badge
Super Lawyers - Badge
Accredited Business - Badge
Avvo / Top Attorney Personal Injury - Badge
Consumer Attorney California - Badge
Av Preeminent - Badge

Spinal Cord Injury Research Makes Major Advance

Walton Law Firm

LA JOLLA – Spinal cord injury researchers from UC San Diego have announced a major advance in reconnecting nerve endings, which could lead to the reverse of paralysis in patients. The findings were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Performing experiments on rats, scientists at the UCSD School of Medicine have, for the first time, successfully reconnected severed axons – parts of nerve cells that conduct electrical impulses. Using a nervous system growth factor called neuroptophin, researchers were able to guide severed axon endings to a correct paired axon ending and bond. This bonding formed electrical connections called synapses.

A recent survey by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation found that 1.275 million Americans have suffered a spinal cord injury, and more than 5.6 million Americans live with some form of paralysis.

“The ability to guide regenerating axons to a correct target after spinal cord injury has always been a point of crucial importance in contemplating translation of regeneration therapies to humans,” senior author Dr. Mark Tuszynski, director of UCSD’s Center for Neural Repair. “While our findings are very encouraging in this respect, they also highlight the complexity of restoring function in the injured spinal cord.”

The experiment’s success was not totally complete. Though the regenerated axons could be precisely guided to their targets and form synapses, the resulting connections did not work. But while it is a long-road to a successful treatment for spinal cord injury, researchers see these latest findings as a large step.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

The accident and injury attorneys at Walton Law Firm LLP represent individuals who have suffered injury in all types of accidents, automobile accidents, construction accidents, property accidents, dog bites, and malpractice matters. Call (790) 607-1325 for a free consultation, or fill out an online contact form.

Client Reviews

I cannot stress enough how great my experience was at North County Injury Lawyers. On my day off from work some friends and I took our bikes for ride on Pacific St. in Oceanside, near where I live. We were...

Cory, Oceanside

Randy Walton came to my rescue during the most difficult time of my life. My parents were killed in a car collision. The driver of the vehicle that hit them was at fault. Her insurance company kept delaying and...

Cheryl, Escondido

I was in a car accident while driving in Lake San Marcos where I live. The jolt of the accident caused me to hit my head and mouth on the steering wheel, which caused injury to my teeth, as well as hearing...

Mary, Lake San Marcos

Get in Touch

  1. 1 Free Consultation
  2. 2 Over 20 Years of Experience
  3. 3 Millions of Dollars Recovered

Fill out the contact form or call us at 760-571-5500 to schedule your free consultation.

Leave Us a Message