• Accomplishments
• Contact

• Research
• Spinal Cord Injury Projects
  • Bone Marrow Grafts for Spinal Cord Repair
  • Corticospinal Regeneration
  • EphA4 Peptide Inhibitors for Neurotrauma Treatment
  • Functional Electrical Stimulation for Hand Function in Quadriplegia
  • Macrophage Cytotoxicity after SCI
  • Matrix Technology for Spinal Cord Repair
  • National Study of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Outcomes
  • New Treatments for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Novel Sodium Channel Blockers
  • Singing in Spinal Cord Injury
  • Sleep Health in Tetraplegia
  • Spinal Cord Recovery in the Opossum
• Traumatic Brain Injury Projects
• Targeted Initiatives
• Completed TBI and SCI Projects
• Program Grants

Corticospinal Regeneration

Regeneration of the Corticospinal Tract in the Injured Spinal Cord

Chief Investigator: Professor David Howells
Associate Investigator: Dr Peter Batchelor
Lead Organisation: University of Melbourne
VNI Funding: $547,052
Project Start Date: 01-May-07

Project Summary:
Every year there are about 250 new cases of spinal cord injury in , the majority resulting in permanent quadriplegia and paraplegia. These injuries are tragic because most victims are young (20-35) and, aside from the great personal costs, these injuries result in a significant economic burden. Movement requires wiring between specialist areas of the brain and the spinal cord and a particularly important pathway is called the corticospinal tract. Substantial regeneration of this tract is needed to restore an injured patient's ability to move. To date only modest regeneration has been achieved in animals. This project aims to explore new approaches for stimulating regeneration of the corticospinal tract through the role of inflammatory cells and growth promoting factors.