AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- University of Texas researchers say they are encouraged by the results of experiments into repairing damaged nerves in rats.
They say they hope the results are a step toward techniques to repair spinal cord injuries that leave their victims paralyzed.
UT neurobiology professor George Bittner tells the Austin American-Statesman that he’s developed a method that had paralyzed rats moving their legs within minutes of treatment, and had them walking within days.
Researchers applied their technique to newly injured peripheral nerves. When severed, those nerves outside the brain and spinal cord seal off their broken ends. Bittner’s team interrupts that healing process, keeps the raw ends open and allows them to be fused back together.
Bittner’s team published articles this month showing effective repair of severed sciatic nerves in rats.
Information from: Austin American-Statesman
