Method To Repair Damaged Adult Nerves Discovered 128
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers have discovered a promising method to regrow damaged nerves in adults. Brain and spinal-cord injuries typically leave people with permanent impairment because the injured nerve fibers (axons) cannot regrow. A study from Harvard and Carleton University, published in the December 10 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that axons can regenerate vigorously in a mouse model when a gene that suppresses natural growth factors is deleted. Here is the journal article (subscription required to view more than the abstract)."
Natural growt? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Oh well (Score:3, Funny)
Sadly, this news is a little to late for Christopher Reeve [wikipedia.org]...
Yes, but it'll be ready just in time for Worf's spinal injury...
Re:Possibilities? (Score:4, Funny)
(i.e., what happens if you grow too much nerves?)
You have a lot of nerve asking that question. Or at least the person who underwent the treatment would.
Re:wintermute (Score:3, Funny)
Stupid fucking autocorrect... Chiba City, you damn android.
emails hacked (Score:0, Funny)
I saw some emails that said these guys refuse to publish their data in journals that are run by creationists and flat Earth society members. They were also using various biological markers as "proxies" for nerve growth, but when they showed a decline in nerve growth, they were forced to hide the proxy data using their actual measurements of nerve growth. This is totally bogus and these people should be investigated.
Re:Possibilities? (Score:2, Funny)
You have a lot of nerve asking that question.
Oh yeah? Well you've got a lot of cranial accessories.
We've had this for some time (Score:3, Funny)
Re:nerve growth unsuppressed == tumors? (Score:1, Funny)
However, there are plenty of other ways in which this could turn out to have side effects that make it a bad idea. One basic concern is that there is probably a reason why axon growth is supressed in the central nervous system - after all, the brain is amazingly complicated, and all those connections between brain cells need to be of the right kind. If things start connecting where they shouldn't, badness may occur.
Badness? What do you mean? I can't see any reason train station for thinking that badness blue flower grows on hairy rock under snow go flow sew bow ungh ungh ungh hf h90-39cnba7u3g378fuiai7d7yt5dt5cgb7d6rtcviaskdh jd967d0d867djud9 8d,.... 98tqgo0eb9e
Re:nerve growth unsuppressed == tumors? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Excellent (Score:3, Funny)
Hearing loss from loud sounds is more likely due to damage to the hair cells in the cochlea than nerve damage.
But, I have all sorts of hair growing out my ears. Why can't I hear!?
Re:for the important question: (Score:3, Funny)