Personal Injury Blog

Tooth Pulp Stem Cells Aid in Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

December 6th, 2011
treatment of spinal cord injury

Stem cells from tooth pulp may help people with the treatment of spinal cord injury

Researchers at a Japanese university have found that using stem cells from tooth pulp may help people with the treatment of spinal cord injury.   According to the research, stem cells taken from the tooth pulp could help in the regeneration of nerves in damaged spinal cords, thereby helping facilitate a speedy recovery.

The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation as part of a report titled Human Dental Pulp-Derived Stem Cells Promote Locomotor Recovery after Complete Transection Of the Rat Spinal Cord by Multiple Neuro Generator Mechanisms..  A team of researchers at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine took easily accessible stem cells from the tooth pulp, and transplanted them into rats that had severe spinal cord injury.

They found that the stem cells promoted regeneration of damaged axons by inhibiting axon growth inhibitors.  Further, the stem cells also prevented apoptosis of neutrons brought about by spinal cord damage.  Researchers found that the benefits of the tooth pulp stem cells became evident during the acute stage of the injury.  The rats, which had severe spinal cord damage, were able to coordinate hind-limb joint movement within a period of 5 weeks, and were also able to walk without weight support during this period of time.

Spinal cord injuries are typically classified into 2 types – quadriplegia and paraplegia.  Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is caused by an injury to the spinal cord in the neck region.  An injury like this causes a loss of sensation in the use of both arms and legs.  In paraplegia, the person suffers an injury to the spinal cord below the neck, and this causes a loss of sensation and loss of the use of the lower limbs of the body, including legs.  A person who suffers from paraplegia may have difficulty breathing without a ventilator, and may suffer from loss of bowel control and, in the case of men, loss of sexual function.

There is no complete cure for spinal cord injury.  However, patients with a spinal cord injury may be placed on a program of rehabilitative therapy to prevent further injury to the spinal cord, and facilitate the learning of skills to perform routine activities.  The rehabilitation typically consists of enhancing existing muscles, and teaching the person with a spinal cord injury new techniques to perform day-to-day activities with ease.

San Diego personal injury lawyers also find that spinal cord injury patients now have a number of aids that can help depending on the level of injury.  For instance, researchers have experimented with robotic skeleton devices that can help a person with paralysis to move his legs and actually walk.  Even persons who have been confined to wheelchairs will find that modern wheelchairs are not only lighter, but also allow greater mobility.

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