Disability News

January 23, 2025

Top Headlines

Fine-Tuned Brain-Computer Interface Makes Prosthetic Limbs Feel More Real

Jan. 16, 2025 — Two new articles document progress in neuroprosthetic technology that lets people feel the shape and movement of objects moving over the 'skin' of a bionic ...

Fatal Neurodegenerative Disease in Kids Also Affects the Bowel

Jan. 15, 2025 — Researchers have described the neurodegeneration that occurs in the nervous system of the bowel in Batten disease, a rare and fatal genetic condition. In their latest study, a team showed that gene therapy to the bowel in mice modeling Batten ...

Hearing Impairment May Be a Sign of Increased Risk of Parkinson's Disease

Jan. 14, 2025 — There may be a link between hearing impairment and an increased risk of developing Parkinson's according to new research. This is one of the first studies to examine whether sensory impairments, such as hearing loss, might increase the risk for ...

Overcoming Spasticity to Help Paraplegics Walk Again

Jan. 8, 2025 — Thanks to new high-frequency electrical stimulation that blocks spasticity, two paralyzed patients suffering from muscle stiffness after spinal cord injury benefit from rehabilitation protocols for walking ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:24am EST

'Unprecedented' Level of Control Allows Person Without Use of Limbs to Operate Virtual Quadcopter

Jan. 21, 2025 — A brain-computer interface, surgically placed in a research participant with tetraplegia, paralysis in all four limbs, provided an unprecedented ...

Can the Heart Heal Itself? New Study Says It Can

Dec. 20, 2024 — Physician-scientists found that a subset of artificial heart patients can regenerate heart muscle, which may open the door to new ways to treat and perhaps someday cure heart ...

Brain Map Clarifies Neuronal Connectivity Behind Motor Function

Dec. 23, 2024 — Scientists traced connectivity between neurons to identify how the brain communicates with the spinal cord to control motor ...

Antibody That Neutralizes Inhibitory Factors Involved in Nerve Regeneration Leads to Enhanced Motor Function After Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Dec. 19, 2024 — Antibodies can improve the rehabilitation of people with acute spinal cord injury. Researchers have investigated this with promising results. For the ...

Study Sheds Light on What Causes Long-Term Disability After a Stroke and Offers New Path Toward Possible Treatment

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers have revealed how an overlooked type of indirect brain damage contributes to ongoing disability after a stroke. The paper shows how the ...

New Virtual Reality-Tested System Shows Promise in Aiding Navigation of People With Blindness or Low Vision

Dec. 17, 2024 — A new study offers hope for people who are blind or have low vision (pBLV) through an innovative navigation system that was tested using virtual ...

Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Shows Promise for Treating Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Dec. 17, 2024 — Using neural stem cells could help treat spinal injuries once thought to be untreatable -- a new phase 1 trial has determined this approach is ...

Study Breaks the Silence on How Fish and Lizards Regenerate Hearing

Dec. 9, 2024 — A new study has identified key gene regulators that enable some deafened animals -- including fish and lizards -- to naturally regenerate their hearing. The findings could guide future efforts to ...

Brain Scan Predicts Effectiveness of Spinal Cord Surgery

Dec. 3, 2024 — A 10-minute brain scan can predict the effectiveness of a risky spinal surgery to alleviate intractable pain. The result gives doctors a much-needed biomarker to discuss with patients considering ...

Mouse Study Captures Aging Process at the Cellular Level

Dec. 2, 2024 — As muscles age, their cells lose the ability to regenerate and heal after injury. Now, researchers have created the most comprehensive portrait to date of how that change, in mice, unfolds over ...

Researchers Develop Tools to Examine Neighborhood Economic Effects on Spinal Cord Injury Outcomes

Nov. 25, 2024 — A new study emphasizes that neighborhood conditions significantly shape recovery opportunities for individuals with SCI and advocates for environmental interventions to reduce health ...

Research Team Develops Novel Biomimetic Speaking Valve Technology

Nov. 20, 2024 — A research team has developed a novel biomimetic speaking valve technology that could significantly increase the safety of tracheostomized ...

Listening for Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Nov. 20, 2024 — People with Alzheimer's exhibit a loss of motor control along with cognitive decline, and one of the earliest signs of this decay can be spotted in involuntary eye movements known as saccades. ...

Researchers Uncover Potential Treatment for Rare Genetic Disorders

Nov. 15, 2024 — Researchers have identified a potential treatment for Sandhoff and Tay-Sachs diseases -- two rare, often fatal lysosomal storage disorders that cause progressive damage to nerve cells in the brain ...

New Study Sheds Light on Language Development in Children With Hearing Loss

Nov. 14, 2024 — Researchers find a link between early vocabulary composition and later language development in children with cochlear ...

Scientists Discover 'Entirely Unanticipated' Role of Protein Netrin1 in Spinal Cord Development

Nov. 14, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered a surprising new role for netrin1, a crucial protein in neural development, as a regulator that limits bone morphogenetic protein signaling in the developing spinal ...

Researchers Develop Minimally Invasive Neural Interface in Revolutionary Study

Nov. 13, 2024 — A team of researchers has developed a technique for diagnosing, managing and treating neurological disorders with minimal surgical ...

Early Treatment for Nerve Tumors Prevents Serious Problems, Study Finds

Nov. 12, 2024 — Small cranial nerve tumors that can cause hearing loss, vertigo and ringing in the ears are often watched rather than treated, but a new study is set to change how the tumors, called vestibular ...

Wearable Ultrasound Tech for Muscle Monitoring Opens New Possibilities in Healthcare and Human-Machine Interfaces

Oct. 31, 2024 — Researchers have developed a compact, wearable ultrasound device that monitors muscle activity. Attachable to the skin with an adhesive and powered by a small battery, the device wirelessly captures ...

Enhanced Cardiovascular Function With Spinal Cord Transcutaneous Stimulation in High-Level Spinal Cord Injury

Oct. 28, 2024 — New research shows that stimulation of the lumbosacral vertebrae region significantly elevated low blood pressure, unlike cervical or upper thoracic ...

Clinical Trial for Treating Spinal Cord Injury Using Olfactory Cell Nerve Bridges

Oct. 22, 2024 — Realizing a Phase I human clinical trial commencing to test the efficacy and safety of the transplantation of olfactory cell nerve bridges to treat chronic spinal cord ...

Controlling Prosthetic Hands More Precisely by the Power of Thought

Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers have developed a novel training protocol for brain-computer interfaces in a study with rhesus monkeys. The method enables precise control of prosthetic hands using signals from the brain ...

Evidence Builds for Near Infrared Light Treatment in Traumatic Brain Injury

Oct. 11, 2024 — New research indicates that a novel method could result in a new treatment option in an area of medicine that currently has few, if any, treatment ...

Adding Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Training Sessions May Boost How Well Sounds Are Perceived

Oct. 9, 2024 — Just as a musician can train to more sharply distinguish subtle differences in pitch, mammals can improve their ability to interpret hearing, vision, and other senses with practice. This process, ...

Lab-Grown Spines Unlock Safer Treatment for Women With Epilepsy, Study Suggests

Oct. 1, 2024 — Researchers have made a significant step towards enabling women with epilepsy safer access to a common and highly effective anti-seizure medication. Sodium Valproate or valproic acid is widely ...

Deep Brain Stimulation Instantly Improves Arm and Hand Function Post-Brain Injury

Oct. 1, 2024 — Deep brain stimulation may provide immediate improvement in arm and hand strength and function weakened by traumatic brain injury or ...

How Are Stretch Reflexes Modulated During Voluntary Movement?

Sep. 26, 2024 — How did the bodies of animals, including ours, become such fine-tuned movement machines? This paper cuts directly into critical debates about how the ancient spinal cord and the relatively new human ...

Scientists Uncover a Critical Component That Helps Killifish Regenerate Their Fins

Sep. 26, 2024 — Spontaneous injuries like the loss of a limb or damage to the spinal cord are impossible for humans to repair. Yet, some animals have an extraordinary capacity to regenerate after injury, a response ...

Walking in Lockstep

Sep. 20, 2024 — Researchers studied the neurological control applied to human walking that maintains the correct relationship between the leg positions. They found that the rhythm of each leg continues independently ...

Versatile Knee Exo for Safer Lifting

Sep. 18, 2024 — A set of knee exoskeletons, built with commercially available knee braces and drone motors, has been shown to help counteract fatigue in lifting and carrying tasks. They helped users maintain better ...