Regenerative Medicine Partnership in Education: Spinal Cord Injury

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Nervous Tissue: the Brain and the Spinal Cord

Learn with moviesYou can learn regenerative medicine also with our animated movies, that take you into the body to observe these processes at cellular level! Learn more about:

The bone and the heart with "Dr. Allevable's Unbelievable Laboratory"

The spinal cord with "Regenerobot and the Robot Science Fair"

The mysteries of the brain with the aliens in "Grey Matters: the Brain Show"

Our Cells, Our Selves - Immune system and Diabetes

The evolution of the immune system and how Type 1 Diabetes arises in "Our Cells, Our Selves"

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What You Will Find

In this section, you will find interactive activities and other learning tools.

Spinal Cord Injury

When the spinal cord is injured, neurons can be severed.

When the spinal cord gets injured, it can swell and cut off blood supply. Some neuron cells die and break open, spilling harmful chemicals, axons swell and shed their coating and a scar forms. The passage of messages is interrupted!

When neuron cells are injured, signals can't get through. This is similar to when a telephone pole falls, and the telephone signal can no longer pass.

Spinal Cord Injury

Although the spinal cord has protective measures in place, such as hard bones and fluid to absorb impact, it can be damaged. Most injuries occur when the spinal cord is subjected to a hard impact, such as if someone dove into a shallow pool and hit his head on the bottom. Spinal cord damage also can be caused by disorders and birth defects.

When the spinal cord is injured, neurons can be severed.

How Does Spinal Cord Damage Affect Neurons?

FUN FACT
The electrical signals that course through your neurons can travel at up to 200 miles per hour.

Damage to the spinal cord can prevent messages from being carried through the affected neurons. The neurons within the spinal cord injury fail to function properly for several reasons. Usually vertebrae crush the neural tissue they intend to protect. This cuts off blood flow to the area, and without the oxygen that blood carries, neurons and their support cells die off. When the support cells that form myelin sheaths die, the neurons lose their insulation. Without insulation, electrical signals travel at a much slower rate. Damaged neurons and severed neurons also cause interruptions of signal transmission.

FUN FACT
The terms white matter and gray matter come from biology. White matter refers to the parts of neurons that are covered in myelin sheaths, while gray matter refers to the un-myelinated sections.

Another type of support cell forms a scar in the damaged area. It is impossible for neurons to regrow through the scar tissue. This type of support cell also makes it hard for neurons to regrow because it releases certain molecules that inhibit growth.

Without neurons that travel all the way from the brain to the organs and tissues, signals cannot get through. For this reason, people with severe spine injuries lose all motor control below the site of injury. Along with loss of control of the muscles that control external limbs, patients can also lose control of some internal organs.

When neuron cells are injured, signals can't get through. This is similar to when a telephone pole falls, and the telephone signal can no longer pass.