http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/disability/ Medical news and research on tissue regeneration, increasing mobility, a bionic ear, a bionic arm, a high-flex knee and more. en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 13:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 May 2012 13:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/disability/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120523133232.htm Transplanting embryonic cells into adult mouse spinal cord can alleviate persistent pain. The research suggests that reduced pain results from successful integration of the embryonic cells into the host spinal cord. The findings open avenues for clinical strategies aimed not just at treating the symptoms of chronic debilitating pain, but correcting the underlying disease pathology. Wed, 23 May 2012 13:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120523133232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120523133057.htm Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them. Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120523133057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521151739.htm Seventy-two percent of teenagers participating in a study experienced reduced hearing ability following exposure to a pop rock performance by a popular female singer. Mon, 21 May 2012 15:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521151739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521141924.htm Students have applied for a provisional patent on their design and prototype of a prescription-medicine pill bottle for the blind and visually impaired -- an innovation that could benefit millions of users. Mon, 21 May 2012 14:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521141924.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517132125.htm A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed. Thu, 17 May 2012 13:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517132125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517132055.htm Mental distractions make pain easier to take, and those pain-relieving effects aren't just in your head, according to a new report. Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517132055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517131701.htm Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to s neuroscience researcher. Thu, 17 May 2012 13:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517131701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140002.htm In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own -- for the first time in nearly 15 years -- by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system, which is intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control. Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140000.htm Two people with tetraplegia were able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space with robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity. They used the BrainGate neural interface system, an investigational device currently being studied under an IDE. One participant used the system to serve herself coffee for the first time since becoming paralyzed nearly 15 years ago. Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516140000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516093156.htm A method developed for training blind persons to “see” through the use of a sensory substitution device (SSD) has enabled those using the system to actually “read” an eye chart with letter sizes smaller than those used in determining the international standard for blindness. The device converts images from a miniature camera into "soundscapes," using a predictable algorithm, allowing the user to listen to and then interpret the visual information coming from the camera. Wed, 16 May 2012 09:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516093156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515104500.htm Surgeons have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working nerves in the upper arms. These nerves still “talk” to the brain because they attach to the spine above the injury. Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515104500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515070307.htm Scientists have identified how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury and may be stimulated to improve muscle repair in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe inherited disease of muscle that causes weakness, disability and, ultimately, heart and respiratory failure. Tue, 15 May 2012 07:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515070307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120513144617.htm Using tiny solar-panel-like cells surgically placed underneath the retina, scientists have devised a system that may someday restore sight to people who have lost vision because of certain types of degenerative eye diseases. Sun, 13 May 2012 14:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120513144617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120511122322.htm Regenerating sensory hair cells could form the basis for treating age- or trauma-related hearing loss. One way to do this could be with gene therapy that drives new sensory hair cells to grow. Researchers have shown that introducing a gene called Atoh1 into the cochleae of young mice can induce the formation of extra sensory hair cells. Fri, 11 May 2012 12:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120511122322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510132713.htm A student-made invention, Dino-Might, was designed to help children with cerebral palsy restore strength and flexibility to their hands and wrists. Thu, 10 May 2012 13:27:27 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510132713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510113859.htm A review article that examines what's known about regenerative biology and applies it to regenerative medicine. Perhaps this knowledge could one day be used to regrow lost body parts. Thu, 10 May 2012 11:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510113859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510113523.htm Scientists have confirmed that mutations of a gene are responsible for some cases of a rare, inherited disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness: spinal muscular atrophy with lower extremity predominance, also known as SMA-LED. Thu, 10 May 2012 11:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510113523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510100044.htm Research into hearing loss after exposure to loud noises could lead to the first drug treatments to prevent the development of tinnitus. Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510100044.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120509123657.htm Dogs are among the best animals when it comes to providing models for better medical treatments in humans. Wed, 09 May 2012 12:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120509123657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508220120.htm Researchers have gained important new insights into how our sense of hearing works. Their findings promise new avenues for scientists to understand what goes wrong when people experience deafness. Tue, 08 May 2012 22:01:01 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508220120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508220116.htm People walking normally, or tottering in high heels, and ostriches strutting -- they all exert the same forces on the ground despite very differently shaped feet, according to new research. The finding suggests that prosthetic lower limbs and robots' legs could be made more efficient by making them less human-like and more like the prosthetics used by 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius. Tue, 08 May 2012 22:01:01 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508220116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508152007.htm Although we have little awareness that we are doing it, we spend most of our lives filtering out many of the sounds that permeate our lives and acutely focusing on others – a phenomenon known as auditory selective attention. Hearing scientists are attempting to tease apart the process. Tue, 08 May 2012 15:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508152007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508152002.htm Not only is there a real connection between vision and other senses, but that connection is important to better understand the underlying mechanisms that can quickly trigger sensory changes, according to new research. Tue, 08 May 2012 15:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508152002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508151952.htm For the ears, a cocktail party presents a chaotic scene: glasses clink, voices buzz, light piano music may waft down from the stage. A group of researchers is trying to understand how the brain makes sense of such complex auditory environments. The team is testing how humans track sound patterns over time, and under what circumstances the brain registers that the pattern has been broken. Tue, 08 May 2012 15:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508151952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502143850.htm Three U.S. hospitals have begun implanting a device that stimulates the respiratory muscle in the chest and draws air into the lungs of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) under recently approved Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502143850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501183021.htm New research shows that hearing and touch have a common genetic basis. In patients with Usher syndrome, a hereditary form of deafness accompanied by impaired vision, researchers have discovered a gene mutation that is also causative for the patients' impaired touch sensitivity. Tue, 01 May 2012 18:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501183021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430124713.htm Biologists have advanced the knowledge of human neurodevelopmental disorders by finding that a lack of a particular group of cell adhesion molecules in the cerebral cortex -- the outermost layer of the brain where language, thought and other higher functions take place -- disrupts the formation of neural circuitry. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430124713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430114939.htm An antibody that neutralizes Kallikrein 6 is capable of staving off MS in mice, new research suggests. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430114939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430101038.htm Cochlear implants have restored basic hearing to some 220,000 deaf people, yet a microphone and related electronics must be worn outside the head, raising reliability issues, preventing patients from swimming and creating social stigma. Now, engineers have developed a tiny prototype microphone that can be implanted in the middle ear to avoid such problems. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430101038.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120427095957.htm The genetics responsible for frequency-specific hearing loss have remained elusive until recently, when genetic loci were found that affected high-frequency hearing. Now, a study reports, for the first time, genetic loci with effects that are limited to specific portions of the hearing frequency map, particularly those that are most affected in aging-related hearing loss. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120427095957.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120422232409.htm Engineers have developed a method of assisting nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally, which could improve the chances of restoring sensation and movement in injured limbs. Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120422232409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120421203911.htm Cochlear implantation provides an effective and safe way of restoring hearing in patients with far advanced otosclerosis, a hereditary condition that can lead to severe hearing loss. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120421203911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419104629.htm A new brain-machine technology delivers messages from the brain directly to the muscles -- bypassing the spinal cord -- to enable voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand. The device could eventually be tested on, and perhaps aid, paralyzed patients. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419104629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419102520.htm Nanoscale films promote bone growth, creating a stronger seal between implants and patients' own bone. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419102520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135047.htm An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a new study. The neuroprosthesis uses a brain-computer interface to control electrical stimulation of muscles and restore hand movement after temporary paralysis. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418135047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418112047.htm The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418112047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418095011.htm Scientists have demonstrated “functional hair regeneration from adult stem cells.” This is a substantial advance in the development of next-generation of “organ replacement regenerative therapies.” Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418095011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417125629.htm Women are more prone to knee injuries than men, and the findings of a new study suggest one cause may be that males and females differ in the way they transmit the nerve impulses that control muscle force. Men control nerve impulses similar to individuals trained for explosive muscle usage -- like those of a sprinter -- while the nerve impulses of women are more similar to those of an endurance-trained athlete, like a distance runner. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417125629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120416130313.htm Catastrophic brain injuries associated with full-contact football appear to be rising, especially among high school students, according to a new report. Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120416130313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403171927.htm Working in mice, scientists have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease that is a leading cause of blindness. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403171927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326112458.htm Medicine’s recipe for keeping older people active and functioning in their homes and workplaces — and healing younger people injured in catastrophic accidents — may include “noodle gels” and other lab-made invisible filaments that resemble uncooked spaghetti with nanoscale dimensions, a scientist has said. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326112458.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320161318.htm Researchers have shown that a protein found in humans stops regeneration when disabled in planaria, providing a potential strategy for preventing the growth of cancer cells. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320161318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320115043.htm A new clinical trial is to test whether a pocket-sized device that uses sound simulation to reboot faulty ‘wiring’ in the brain could cure people with the debilitating hearing disorder tinnitus. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120320115043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120319111831.htm Researchers may make it easier to recover after spinal cord injury or to study neurological disorders. His research can greatly improve animal and human health by developing technology to advance cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120319111831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313185850.htm Pain is an important physiological function that protects our bodies from harm. Pain-sensing nerves transduce harmful stimuli into electrical signals and transmit this information to the brain via the spinal cord. A team of scientists has found a novel road-block in the pain pathway, which could be used to treat chronic pain. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313185850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308174651.htm The hair cells of the inner ear have a previously unknown "root" extension that may allow them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position, researchers have discovered. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308174651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308132829.htm In both animals and humans, vocal signals used for communication contain a wide array of different sounds that are determined by the vibrational frequencies of vocal cords. Knowing how the brain sorts out these different frequencies -- which are called frequency-modulated sweeps—is believed to be essential to understanding many hearing-related behaviors, like speech. Now, a pair of biologists has identified how and where the brain processes this type of sound signal. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308132829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120307094659.htm A new paradigm to explain glaucoma is generating brain-based treatment advances. A review article says that some top researchers no longer consider glaucoma solely an eye disease, but rather a neurologic disorder with some similarities to Parkinson disease and Alzheimer's. Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120307094659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120304141848.htm A new study that shows more flexibility in the brain than previously thought could be a major boost to the development of mind-controlled neuroprosthetic devices that feel natural. Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120304141848.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120302083224.htm A powerful new imaging technique called High Definition Fiber Tracking will allow doctors to clearly see for the first time neural connections broken by traumatic brain injury and other disorders, much like X-rays show a fractured bone, according to researchers. HDFT could provide an objective way of identifying brain injury, predicting outcome and planning rehabilitation. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120302083224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228114203.htm In the 2009 film Surrogates, humans live vicariously through robots while safely remaining in their own homes. That sci-fi future is still a long way off, but recent advances in technology are bringing this technology a step closer to reality in order to give disabled people more autonomy and independence than ever before. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228114203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228114040.htm We make our eye movements earlier or later in order to coordinate with movements of our arms, neuroscientists have found. Their study points to a mechanism in the brain that allows for this coordination and may have implications for rehabilitation and prosthetics. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228114040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221124823.htm A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221124823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221124713.htm A new study finds a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to a cell phone, with more than 70 percent of participants holding their cell phone up to the ear on the same side as their dominant hand. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221124713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120220085656.htm The Tongue Drive System is getting less conspicuous and more capable. The newest system prototype allows people with high-level spinal cord injuries to wear an inconspicuous dental retainer embedded with sensors to operate a computer and electric wheelchair simply by moving their tongues. Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120220085656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214170957.htm Researchers have taken an important step in understanding retina regeneration, suggesting new possibilities for developing treatments in humans. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214170957.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213185125.htm Though an estimated 26.7 million Americans age 50 and older have hearing loss, only about one in seven uses a hearing aid, according to a new study. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213185125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133437.htm A new study shows that Kineret (anakinra), a medication approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is effective in stopping the progression of organ damage in people with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease. This rare and debilitating genetic disorder causes persistent inflammation and ongoing tissue damage. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133352.htm Cochlear implants may be a safe, effective option for some organ transplant patients who've lost their hearing as an unfortunate consequence of their transplant-related drug regime, researchers report. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209140208.htm Our bodies are full of tiny superheroes -- antibodies that fight foreign invaders, cells that regenerate, and structures that ensure our systems run smoothly. One such structure is myelin, a material that forms a protective cape around the axons of our nerve cells so that they can send signals quickly and efficiently. But myelin becomes damaged in demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis, leaving neurons without their sheaths. Researchers now believe they have found a way to help the brain replace damaged myelin. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209140208.htm