Stroke Brain Fix

January 25, 2006 | Source: ScienCentral,

Brain researchers may have found a way to make stroke-damaged nerve cells re-grow.

They used an immune-system protein antibody to stop Nogo-A from binding to receptors on nerve cells. Without the inhibitory affect of Nogo-A, the injured nerve cells were able to re-grow, restoring lost movement to the front paws of the rats.

Neurologist Wendy Kartje from the Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in Illinois and her team was only testing the therapy in the part of the brain that controls sensory movement — an area commonly affected by stroke. “More than likely, this kind of therapy could even be useful for other types of stroke in other parts of the brain,” says Kartje, such as helping to restore lost speech and vision.