Biology Current Events

Body Works Health and Fitness

Article from the Toronto Star

February 15th 2010

The article given to us published in the Toronto Star supplements our classroom learning on the nervous system by giving us a real life application of the knowledge. The article discusses the multiple research initiatives to repair damaged spinal cord nerves. The article argues that if the peripheral nerves in the finger can grow back and join together, there could be hope for the spinal cord. New research conducted by the Neuroscience Network of Canada discovered that the genes in the spinal cord are deactivated while other stop nerve cells from growing and stabilizes the essential nerve connections during adult life. Researchers are trying to find a way to activate the “switched off” genes. Scientist hope to repair nerves by isolating the cells that adults developed as children retain to be transformed into nerve cells outside the body and transplanting them into a damaged brain or spinal cord. The article explains why severed nerves of the spinal cord do not grow back and it is because of the presence of myelin that stabilizes the circuit to prevent nerve fibres from forming unwanted connections. In other research, scientist have discovered a way to temporarily stop myelin of adult animals from stabilizing the circuit which can promote connection of up to 20 percent but it must to improved to work on humans. Additional research is focusing on isolating the dorsal root ganglions that has a dual nature to not regenerate while its connections to muscles and skin do regenerate. Scientists are working on isolating the dorsal root ganglions to promote growth in one half and prevent it in the other. Research has also found that exercise is the best way to keep neural links firing by increasing the production of growth protein in the brain that supports the nerve cells and protects against the free radicals.

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This article adds to my learning of the nervous system, raises social and technological issues and advances and entices me to exercise more frequently to keep my neural links firing for a long time.

The article specifically explains how the nerve fibres are developed in the human embryo and the research being done in hopes of repairing a severed spinal cord adds a real life application to my knowledge of the nervous system. The diagram in the article illustrates a clear picture of the relationship between the spinal cord and the neuron which enhances my knowledge of the nervous ...

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