Coaxing Injured Nerves to Regrow

piggy submitted, created time 2 months 18 hours (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

The adult central nervous system has only a limited ability to repair itself. That's why spinal cord injuries leave people permanently paralyzed. Now a study with mice finds that removing a particular signaling molecule in adult neurons restores their ability to regenerate damaged axons, the long extensions that convey signals from one neuron to another. The find potentially paves the way for repairing spinal cords and other nervous system injuries

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Botox toxin gets into rat brains

Sue Wu submitted, created time 9 months 5 days (www.nature.com)

The botox toxin is often used in cosmetic surgery. Ladies should care more about that health problem.
Researchers have seen how the nerve-blocking botilinum toxin, made famous by wrinkle-banishing Botox, can be carried from a site of injection in rats into the brain.

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Protein chaperone bulwark against nerve degeneration

jane2007 submitted, created time 9 months 3 weeks (www.bcm.edu)

A protein called NMNAT (NAD synthase nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase) protects nerve cells from degeneration by acting as a "chaperone," a molecule that helps other proteins fold into an active state.

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Six-month hangover for 60-pint Scotsman

bachelor submitted, created time 1 year 1 month (www.theregister.co.uk)

A 30-year-old Glaswegian has suffered what may go down in history as the greatest hangover west of the Mississippi - a six-month headache induced by sinking 60 pints over four days.

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Scientists say nerves use sound, not electricity

Paramecium submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.cbc.ca)

The common view that nerves transmit impulses through electricity is wrong and they really transmit sound, according to a team of Danish scientists.

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touch, heat, vibrations -- targeted reinnervation improves prosthetics

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.sciencenews.org)

Another new step for prosthetics. If they can master both motor and sensory effects, then the biggest hurdle left between the current state of the business and true usefulness is the weight. Many amputees report that prosthetics are just too heavy to be practical.

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Getting on your nerves... and repairing them

penguin submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.eurekalert.org)

A key molecular mechanism, RNA interference (RNAi), plays a role in the regeneration and repair of periphery nerves, which are the nerves located outside of the brain and spinal column. This research may lead to new therapies that manipulate RNAi to treat people with damaged nerves resulting from degenerative disorders and injury.

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