Common causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls, sports injuries, etc.) or disease (transverse myelitis, polio, spina bifida, Friedreich’s ataxia, etc.). The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of function to occur.
Link to Spinal Cord Injury Hub
Initial Overview based on Wikipedia entry Jan. 4, 2016.
OnAir Post: Spinal Cord Injury Overview
Epothilone is able to inhibit directional movement in scar-forming cells while stimulating active growth in nerve cell axons. The animals treated with epothilone after spinal cord injury walked better than those that received no treatment,
Science 3/12/15
OnAir Post: Regeneration of Neurons by Cancer Drug
The e-Dura implant developed by EPFL scientists can be applied directly to the spinal cord without causing damage and inflammation. The device is described in an article appearing online. Science 1/8/15
