Paralysis News and Research

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Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of your body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia.

A peptide could prove to be useful in stopping nerve cell degeneration

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago found promising results in their search for a treatment to stop nerve cell degeneration that happens in some types of disorders, such as hereditary spastic paraplegia and Parkinson's disease, which can cause significant disability.

17 Feb 2022

'Mini brains' allow researchers to study a fatal, untreatable neurological disorder

Cambridge researchers have developed 'mini brains' that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and dementia – and for the first time have been able to grow these for almost a year.

22 Oct 2021

“Paralyzed” immune cells can be reactivated by drugs in IDH-mutant gliomas

Brain tumor cells with a certain common mutation reprogram invading immune cells. This leads to the paralysis of the body's immune defense against the tumor in the brain. Researchers from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Freiburg discovered this mechanism and at the same time identified a way of reactivating the paralyzed immune system to fight the tumor.

25 May 2021

Nutritional supplement may reduce the risk of strokes caused by a rare genetic disorder

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered that a widely used nutritional supplement may significantly reduce the risk of fatal strokes caused by a rare genetic disorder.

24 Mar 2021

Cryogenic electron microscopy reveals shape of glutamate transporters involved in neurological diseases

An international research team has uncovered the shape of the glutamate transporter and helps explain how the human brain cells interact with each other.

18 Feb 2021

Gene therapy helps paralyzed mice to walk again

For the first time, scientists have successfully used gene therapy to make mice walk again after these animals suffered a complete cross-sectional injury.

18 Jan 2021

Research sheds light on T cell abnormality in critically ill COVID-19 patients

There is an idea within the coronavirus research field that there is some kind of T cell abnormality in critically ill COVID-19 patients, but specific details have not yet been clarified. To shed light on the problem, a research collaboration based in Kumamoto University (Japan) has performed a genetic analysis of T cells from lung tissue of COVID-19 patients.

23 Nov 2020

Study helps explain how Treg cells prevent autoimmunity, dampen immune responses

In a new University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers have discovered how regulatory T cells (Treg) are instrumental in limiting the damage caused to the spinal cord in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).

22 Sep 2020

Cashew shell compound shows therapeutic potential for demyelinating diseases

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

From Vanderbilt University 19 Aug 2020

Researchers are developing therapeutic treatments for acute stroke

Every year in the United States, about 800,000 people experience a stroke. Many are left with neurological complications such as paralysis on one side of the body, speech and language problems, vision issues, behavioral changes, and memory loss.

10 Aug 2020

Grotesque side effects from unproven stem cell therapies more common than thought

Grotesque side effects from unproven 'stem cell' therapies are more common than we realized, reports a team of researchers led by UConn Health in Annals of Neurology on July 29.

30 Jul 2020

Researchers identify how certain gene mutations cause ALS

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified how certain gene mutations cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

11 Jun 2020

How do cells react to stressful conditions?

Most often, cells are subjected to stressful conditions that can pose a serious threat to life, for example, toxins or high temperatures.

23 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers solve structure of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction.

16 Apr 2020