scholarly journals The 2020 Yearbook of Neurorestoratology

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hongyun Huang ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Michael Chopp ◽  
Wise Young ◽  
John Robert Bach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Olfactory Ensheathing Cell ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Computer Input ◽  
Touch Sensation ◽  
Sensory Acuity

COVID-19 has been an emerging and rapidly evolving risk to people of the world in 2020. Facing this dangerous situation, many colleagues in Neurorestoratology did their best to avoid infection if themselves and their patients, and continued their work in the research areas described in the 2020 Yearbook of Neurorestoratology. Neurorestorative achievements and progress during 2020 includes recent findings on the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, neurorestorative mechanisms and clinical therapeutic achievements. Therapeutic progress during this year included advances in cell therapies, neurostimulation/neuromodulation, brain-computer interface (BCI), and pharmaceutical neurorestorative therapies, which improved neurological functions and quality of life for patients. Four clinical guidelines or standards of Neurorestoratology were published in 2020. Milestone examples include: 1) a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of olfactory ensheathing cell treatment of chronic stroke showed functional improvements; 2) patients after transhumeral amputation experienced increased sensory acuity and had improved effectiveness in work and other activities of daily life using a prosthesis; 3) a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis used a steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based BCI to achieve accurate and speedy computer input; 4) a patient with complete chronic spinal cord injury recovered both motor function and touch sensation with a BCI and restored ability to detect objects by touch and several sensorimotor functions. We hope these achievements motivate and encourage other scientists and physicians to increase neurorestorative research and its therapeutic applications.

scholarly journals Alendronate Prevents Bone Loss in Patients with Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 1385-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. L. Gilchrist ◽  
C. M. Frampton ◽  
R. H. Acland ◽  
M. G. Nicholls ◽  
R. L. March ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Bone Loss ◽  
Acute Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Cord Injury

scholarly journals Effects of progesterone and vitamin D on outcome of patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury; a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahram Aminmansour ◽  
Ali Asnaashari ◽  
Majid Rezvani ◽  
Fariborz Ghaffarpasand ◽  
Seyed Mohammad Amin Noorian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Cord Injury

scholarly journals Reduction of spinal sensory transmission by facilitation of 5-HT1B/D receptors in noninjured and spinal cord-injured humans

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 1485-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. D'Amico ◽  
Yaqing Li ◽  
David J. Bennett ◽  
Monica A. Gorassini
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
H Reflex ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Afferent Pathways ◽  
Persistent Inward Currents ◽  
Sensory Transmission ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Inward Currents ◽  
Spinal Cord Injured

Activation of receptors by serotonin (5-HT1) and norepinephrine (α2) on primary afferent terminals and excitatory interneurons reduces transmission in spinal sensory pathways. Loss or reduction of descending sources of serotonin and norepinephrine after spinal cord injury (SCI) and the subsequent reduction of 5-HT1/α2 receptor activity contributes, in part, to the emergence of excessive motoneuron activation from sensory afferent pathways and the uncontrolled triggering of persistent inward currents that depolarize motoneurons during muscle spasms. We tested in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study whether facilitating 5-HT1B/D receptors with the agonist zolmitriptan reduces the sensory activation of motoneurons during an H-reflex in both noninjured control and spinal cord-injured participants. In both groups zolmitriptan, but not placebo, reduced the size of the maximum soleus H-reflex with a peak decrease to 59% (noninjured) and 62% (SCI) of predrug values. In SCI participants we also examined the effects of zolmitriptan on the cutaneomuscular reflex evoked in tibialis anterior from stimulation to the medial arch of the foot. Zolmitriptan, but not placebo, reduced the long-latency, polysynaptic component of the cutaneomuscular reflex (first 200 ms of reflex) by ∼50%. This ultimately reduced the triggering of the long-lasting component of the reflex (500 ms poststimulation to end of reflex) known to be mediated by persistent inward currents in the motoneuron. These results demonstrate that facilitation of 5-HT1B/D receptors reduces sensory transmission in both monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflex pathways to ultimately reduce long-lasting reflexes (spasms) after SCI.

scholarly journals Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Enhances Quadriceps Motor Evoked Potential in Healthy Participants: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3275
Author(s):  
Álvaro Megía-García ◽  
Diego Serrano-Muñoz ◽  
Julian Taylor ◽  
Juan Avendaño-Coy ◽  
Natalia Comino-Suárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Stimulation ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Vertebral Level ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Healthy Participants

Transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) is a non-invasive technique for neuromodulation and has therapeutic potential for motor rehabilitation following spinal cord injury. The main aim of the present study is to quantify the effect of a single session of tSCS on lower limb motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in healthy participants. A double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized, crossover, clinical trial was carried out in 15 participants. Two 10-min sessions of tSCS (active-tSCS and sham-tSCS) were applied at the T11-T12 vertebral level. Quadriceps (Q) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle MEPs were recorded at baseline, during and after tSCS. Q and TA isometric maximal voluntary contraction was also recorded. A significant increase of the Q-MEP amplitude was observed during active-tSCS (1.96 ± 0.3 mV) when compared from baseline (1.40 ± 0.2 mV; p = 0.01) and when compared to sham-tSCS at the same time-point (1.13 ± 0.3 mV; p = 0.03). No significant modulation was identified for TA-MEP amplitude or for Q and TA isometric maximal voluntary isometric strength. In conclusion, tSCS applied over the T11-T12 vertebral level increased Q-MEP but not TA-MEP compared to sham stimulation. The specific neuromodulatory effect of tSCS on Q-MEP may reflect optimal excitation of this motor response at the interneuronal or motoneuronal level.

scholarly journals A pilot study of clinical cell therapies in Alzheimer’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-284
Author(s):  
Xiaoling Guo ◽  
Yunliang Wang ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Yanqiu Liu ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cell Therapy ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Placebo Control ◽  
Clinical Dementia Rating ◽  
Olfactory Ensheathing Cell ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Cell Therapies

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease dominated by progressive cognitive dysfunction causing significant social, economic, and medical crises. Cell therapy has demonstrated favorable effects for AD. This pilot study examined the safety and neurorestorative effects of the olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC), olfactory neuron (ON), and Schwann cell (SC) on patients with AD. Seven patients with AD were enrolled in this two-center, randomized, double-blind, and placebo- controlled cell therapy study with a subsequent 12-month follow-up. We randomly assigned one or two participants in OEC, ON, and SC therapy or OEC combined with ON and placebo control. All enrolled patients were injected cells or medium into the olfactory sub-mucosa. They got an assessment of Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Clinical Dementia Rating before treatment and 1, 3, 6, 12 months after treatment. We performed MRI or CT scans before treatment and 12 months after treatment. After integrating the results from the three evaluation methods, all cell types showed better results than a placebo control. ON and SC seem to exhibit more vital potential neurorestorative ability to enhance or convert the neurological functions of patients with AD, and OEC may help AD patients keep neurological functions stable. In this pilot study, there was no adverse or side-effect event. The results of this study strongly suggest conducting a phase II clinical trial of ON, SC, and OEC therapy to prove their neurorestorative effect on patients with AD.

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