[ghastmaster]

> The therapy also induces myelin to rebuild around axons and reduces glial scarring, which acts as a physical barrier that prevents the spinal cord from healing

This gives the impression that this would need to be administered before any scaring takes place. It is probably not a remedy for people with old injuries.

[jgilias]

This, however, seems to suggest that the therapy actually reduces pre-existing scar tissue:

> the breakthrough therapy dramatically improved severely injured spinal cords in five key ways: (1) The severed extensions of neurons, called axons, regenerated; (2) scar tissue, which can create a physical barrier to regeneration and repair, significantly diminished;

[irjustin]

Yeah, but this is incredible if it works at the human level.

My friend was in a car accident and a subwoofer that wasn't tied down ended up striking in him the back paralyzing him from the mid-back down. Years and years of heartache for both my friend, and the other friend who installed the subwoofer without tying it down.

There was a lot of things wrong that allowed this to happen, but knowing future people with injuries like my friend whom this therapy could save or alleviate makes me incredibly excited.

[themaninthedark]

Maybe a dumb question but....

If scar tissue forms after an injury and blocks the area (on both sides of the nerve, I assume), like this ---x x--- . Could you then cut the scarred area away, creating "new" injury that this treatment could cure?

----x x----

---| |---

---**---

[gus_massa]

I remember reading a story many years ago a about a boy that got a nerve severed and later they opened the wound to remove the scar in the nerve and reconnect the nerve, so it regrows. The problem was that after cutting the scar, the nerve was shorter, so they have to take a shortcut in the elbow.

I can't find the story, but these links have info that is similar enough to be confident my memory is not too bad. http://www.rebeccaayers.co.nz/procedures-and-information/han... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_allograft

[themaninthedark]

Cool! I am glad that it might be possible and that this might even be able to help those who have old injuries then!

My wife has internal scarring and adhesion(filaments of scar tissues) from appendicitis. This causes complications and her intestines can get twisted instead of moving freely over each other like they normally would. I asked if the adhesion could be cut to allow free movement but unfortunately it's sort of like a hydra, you cut one and it will form more/new adhesions.