Disability News

April 26, 2024

Top Headlines

Brainless Memory Makes the Spinal Cord Smarter Than Previously Thought

Apr. 11, 2024 — Researchers have discovered the neural circuitry in the spinal cord that allows brain-independent motor learning. The study found two critical groups of spinal cord neurons, one necessary for new adaptive learning, and another for recalling ...

After Spinal Cord Injury, Neurons Wreak Havoc on Metabolism

Apr. 24, 2024 — Conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and vascular diseases commonly diagnosed in people with spinal cord injuries can be traced to abnormal post-injury neuronal activity that causes abdominal fat tissue compounds to leak and pool in the liver ...

Discovery Has Potential to Solve the Billion-Dollar Global Cost of Poorly Managed Wound Healing

Mar. 27, 2024 — Scientists have uncovered a key step in the wound healing process that becomes disabled in diseases like diabetes and aging, contributing to a global healthcare cost of managing poorly healing wounds ...

Universal Brain-Computer Interface Lets People Play Games With Just Their Thoughts

Apr. 1, 2024 — Engineers have created a brain-computer interface that doesn't require calibration for each user, paving the way for widespread clinical ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:46pm EDT

Cellular Architecture of Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis Now Mapped out

Mar. 20, 2024 — Using advanced methodology, scientists have been able to reveal at the cellular level how lesions in multiple sclerosis ...

Doctors Can Now Watch Spinal Cord Activity During Surgery

Mar. 7, 2024 — Scientists can make high resolution images of the human spinal cord during surgery. The advancement could help bring real relief to millions suffering chronic back ...

Factors Associated With Age-Related Hearing Loss Differ Between Males and Females

Mar. 6, 2024 — Certain factors associated with developing age-related hearing loss differ by sex, including weight, smoking behavior, and hormone exposure, ...

New Dressing Robot Can 'Mimic' the Actions of Care-Workers

Mar. 4, 2024 — Scientists have developed a new robot that can 'mimic' the two-handed movements of care-workers as they dress an ...

Human Stem Cells Coaxed to Mimic the Very Early Central Nervous System

Feb. 26, 2024 — The first stem cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system has been developed by a team of engineers and ...

Visual Prosthesis Simulator Offers a Glimpse Into the Future

Feb. 27, 2024 — Researchers have developed a simulator that enables artificial visual observations for research into the visual prosthesis. This open source tool is available to researchers and offers those who are ...

Can They Hear You Now? Kids Increasingly Exposed to Noise Health Risks Via Earbuds and Headphones

Feb. 26, 2024 — While it's not surprising to spot teens wearing headphones and earbuds, it's also becoming a widespread trend among younger children, a national poll ...

Scientists Discover Biological Mechanism of Hearing Loss Caused by Loud Noise -- And Find a Way to Prevent It

Feb. 12, 2024 — Drugs that trap excess zinc in the inner ear could help restore lost hearing or, if administered before an expected loud sound exposure, can protect ...

Neural Prosthetic Device Can Help Humans Restore Memory

Feb. 13, 2024 — A team of scientists have demonstrated the first successful use of a neural prosthetic device to recall specific ...

Temperature-Sensitive Prosthetic Limb Improves Amputee Dexterity and Feelings of Human Connection

Feb. 9, 2024 — Sensory feedback is important for amputees to be able to explore and interact with their environment. Now, researchers have developed a device that ...

Scientists Develop a Low-Cost Device to Make Cell Therapy Safer

Feb. 7, 2024 — A tiny microfluidic device can improve cell therapy techniques for spinal cord injury patients. The device can remove a large percentage of stem cells that have not yet fully become spinal cord ...

Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Children With Hereditary Deafness

Jan. 24, 2024 — A novel gene therapy for hearing loss was administered to six children in China in a clinical trial. Each child had an inherited deafness caused by mutations in the OTOF gene, called DFNB9. The ...

Good and Bad News for People With Low Back Pain

Jan. 22, 2024 — Low back pain is a major cause of disability around the globe, with more than 570 million people affected. New research shows that many people with persistent low back pain (more than 12 weeks) ...

Decoding the Neural Key to How Humans Efficiently Walk at Varied Speeds

Jan. 22, 2024 — We may not think about it while doing it, but our nervous system is directing our bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and more to move as efficiently as possible at varying speeds. Replicating this in ...

Bacterial Meningitis Injures One in Three Children for Life

Jan. 19, 2024 — One in three children who suffer from bacterial meningitis live with permanent neurological disabilities due to the ...

Study Identifies New Findings on Implant Positioning and Stability During Robotic-Assisted Knee Revision Surgery

Jan. 17, 2024 — An innovative study explores the use of robotic-assisted joint replacement in revision knee scenarios, comparing the pre- and post-revision implant positions in a series of revision total knee ...

'Smart Glove' Can Boost Hand Mobility of Stroke Patients

Jan. 16, 2024 — This month, a group of stroke survivors in British Columbia will test a new technology designed to aid their recovery, and ultimately restore use of their limbs and hands. Participants will wear a ...

ALS: Blocking Inflammation to Reduce Symptoms

Jan. 10, 2024 — In people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), changes in neurons appear to activate immune cells. Lowering the inflammation could reduce the symptoms of the disease, according to a new ...

RSV Shown to Infect Nerve Cells, Cause Inflammation and Damage

Jan. 9, 2024 — RSV, a common infection in children and the elderly thought to only infect the respiratory tract, can also infect nerve cells and cause nerve damage, according to a new study. The findings could have ...

Could a Drug Prevent Hearing Loss from Loud Music and Aging?

Jan. 8, 2024 — A person's hearing can be damaged by loud noise, aging and even certain medications, with little recourse beyond a hearing aid or cochlear ...

Hearing Loss Increases the Risk of Dementia

Jan. 5, 2024 — In a new study featuring data from 573,088 people, researchers have found a link between hearing loss and the development of dementia. The study is the largest of its kind to ...

Hearing Aids May Help People Live Longer

Jan. 4, 2024 — A new study shows that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never wore ...

Chronic Childhood Ear Infections Delay Language Development

Jan. 3, 2024 — The temporary, repeated hearing loss caused by chronic ear infections can affect language skills years ...

Spinal Cord Injury Causes Acute and Systemic Muscle Wasting

Dec. 21, 2023 — Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients lose body weight and muscle mass, despite being on a high-calorie diet while in the intensive care unit. Their muscle wasting is substantial and extends beyond ...

Childhood Trauma Increases Risk of Chronic Pain in Adulthood, Research to-Date Highlights

Dec. 19, 2023 — Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect, either alone or combined with other types of childhood trauma, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood, according to ...

Loss of Auditory Nerve Fibers Uncovered in Individuals With Tinnitus

Nov. 30, 2023 — Researchers have uncovered that tinnitus, an incurable persistent ringing or other sounds in the ears, might result from underlying auditory nerve damage that can't be detected on conventional ...

Lost Brain Function Restored in Mice After Stroke

Nov. 30, 2023 — Researchers have succeeded in restoring lost brain function in mouse models of stroke using small molecules that in the future could potentially be developed into a stroke recovery ...

Eye-Safe Laser Technology to Diagnose Traumatic Brain Injury

Nov. 29, 2023 — Researchers have designed and developed a novel diagnostic device to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) by shining a safe laser into the ...

Understanding Rapid Tendon Regeneration in Newts May One Day Help Human Athletes

Nov. 29, 2023 — Researchers have revealed how amphibians and mammals heal musculoskeletal tissues. Using mechanical testing and microscopy, they found that newts heal their tendons using collagenous tissue that acts ...

Fat Cells Help Repair Damaged Nerves

Nov. 28, 2023 — Damage to the body's peripheral nerves can cause pain and movement disorders. Researchers have recently investigated how damaged nerves can regenerate better. They found that fat tissue strongly ...