A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma demonstrates a strategy for treating a chronic spinal cord injury in rats that led to functional recovery of the paralyzed forelimb and paw and precision movements of the digits.
Adrianna Milton, from Case Western Reserve University, and coauthors from Dr. Jerry Silver’s laboratory describe the use of a novel combinatorial treatment strategy designed to both reduce and overcome the effects of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan is a component of the extracellular and perineuronal net matrix that inhibits neuronal regeneration/sprouting, especially during the chronic stages of spinal cord injuries. The investigators evaluated the combined treatment in rats that had sustained an upper cervical spinal cord injury three months previously
