Houston, GEMINI has landed: Spinal cord fusion achieved
نویسندگان
چکیده
One of the keys to a successful spinal cord fusion is a very sharp cut that minimizes damage of the cord, both at the white matter and the gray matter level. This allows the two interfaces of a severed cord to regrow neurites out of the gray matter core, the vital component of the sensorimotor machinery that makes us move and feel (the so‐called cortico‐trunco‐reticulo‐proprio‐spinal pathway, CTRPS) – unlike the previous misbegotten dogma that the white matter (including the pyramidal corticospinal fibers) with its 20 million fibers was solely or to a large extent in charge of these functions (for in‐depth anatomical discussion, see references 2–3 and 6). Work done since Cajal’s time, but then forgotten or ignored, made it clear that a sharp cut was not irreversibly associated with permanent paralysis; in fact, animals reacquired sensorimotor function.[2‐4]
منابع مشابه
GEMINI: Initial behavioral results after full severance of the cervical spinal cord in mice
BACKGROUND The GEMINI spinal cord fusion protocol has been developed to achieve a successful cephalosomatic anastomosis. Here, we report the preliminary data on the use of a fusogen [polyethylene glycol (PEG)] after full cervical cord transection in mice to facilitate the fusion of both ends of a sharply transected spinal cord. METHODS Cervical laminectomy and a complete, visually confirmed c...
متن کاملHEAVEN: The head anastomosis venture Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage (GEMINI)
In 1970, the first cephalosomatic linkage was achieved in the monkey. However, the technology did not exist for reconnecting the spinal cord, and this line of research was no longer pursued. In this paper, an outline for the first total cephalic exchange in man is provided and spinal reconnection is described. The use of fusogens, special membrane-fusion substances, is discussed in view of the ...
متن کاملMembrane fusion/repair in nerve cells: a biophysical application in spinal cord injuries regeneration
Cell membrane has a critical and vital role in functioning and existence of nerve cells that form central nervous system (CNS) in mammals. Disruption of nerve membrane that normally occurs following an accident injuring spinal cord is known to be the major cause of paralysis. In most occasions, spinal cord injuries are not leading to complete cut in spinal cord fibers but are known to cause cru...
متن کاملMembrane fusion/repair in nerve cells: a biophysical application in spinal cord injuries regeneration
Cell membrane has a critical and vital role in functioning and existence of nerve cells that form central nervous system (CNS) in mammals. Disruption of nerve membrane that normally occurs following an accident injuring spinal cord is known to be the major cause of paralysis. In most occasions, spinal cord injuries are not leading to complete cut in spinal cord fibers but are known to cause cru...
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