Paraplegic Rats Enabled To "Walk" Again 99
eldavojohn notes a paper released in Nature Neuroscience today describing work in which paraplegic rats were enabled to walk again as early as a week after injury and treatment. The process involves a serotonin-influencing drug and electrical stimulation of the spine, along with an incentive to the paralyzed back legs to move — namely, being placed on a treadmill. Soon a poorly understood spinal mechanism called the "central pattern generator" kicks in and the rats' legs move under the stimulus of a rhythmic signal from the spine (the brain is not involved). Eurekalert reports, "Daily treadmill training over several weeks eventually enabled the rats to regain full weight-bearing walking, including backwards, sideways and at running speed. However, the injury still interrupted the brain's connection to the spinal cord-based rhythmic walking circuitry, leaving the rats unable to walk of their own accord."
WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
Imagine being the crippled rat and suddenly you can walk, but with a hitch.
"Hey Jack, look, I'm walking! I can walk again! But wait a second, I didn't want to walk. Damn, I'm walking for no reason! Jack, make it stop! My legs keep...Jack? I'm going on an unwanted vacation it seems. Nice knowing ya! Tell Martha I love her. You can have my cheese, okay?"
Great, first zombie fish, now invulnerable rats! (Score:5, Funny)
I for one welcome our... undead invulnerable rat/fish overlords?
Being a lab rat must suck... (Score:5, Funny)
First they remove your spine, taking away complete or any control over your limbs. Then they keep you alive, even though in the wild without limbs, you'd be a goner and wouldn't have to suffer every day. Then they hook you up to machines and zap your legs back to life again...but you don't have control over them.
While this is certainly in the interest of science and progress it does come at the cost of animal torture. Though I'm sure if was in a car accident and a doctor said "we can restore your leg functions but first we must cripple/kill 100 rats" I'd say "kill 1,000".
Jom & Terry (Score:4, Funny)
Extra points if you make it chase a cat.
Michael Jackson may be dead... (Score:5, Funny)
...but that doesn't mean his dancing career ended.
Re:Great, first zombie fish, now invulnerable rats (Score:3, Funny)
It's funny that you consider rats to be a lower life form. They think the same of you. =^_^=
Parent is insensitive (Score:1, Funny)
Dead fish with feelings have feelings, you insensitive clod!
Re:For those who don't know... (Score:5, Funny)
Really?!? I thought these were rats that were in bad car accidents, war vets, and took nasty falls down the stairs!
Re:Great, first zombie fish, now invulnerable rats (Score:4, Funny)
Someone get these rats some Mirapex! (Score:3, Funny)
This looks like the worst case of Restless Leg Syndrome of all time.