A tiny, flexible gold-plated device may be the key to restoring paralyzed humans’ spinal functions

EPFL researcher's neural implant can make paralyzed rats walk again. Soft and stretchable, it is the first of its kind that can be implanted directly on the spinal chord, without damaging it. Described in Science, this new generation device called e-Dura combines electrical and chemical stimulation.

One of the health conditions modern medicine has yet to fix is paralysis in patients who have experienced accidents affecting their spinal cords. But, CNET reports, researchers from Switzerland have already come up with a tiny, flexible, gold-plated device that can be implanted in patients to restore spinal cord functionality and allow paralyzed patients to walk again. [...]

SPINALpedia

SPINALpedia is a social mentoring network and video archive that allows the spinal cord injury community to motivate each other with the knowledge and triumphs gained from our individual experiences.

How to choose a wheelchair

Welcome to Episode 1 of a How To video series presented by National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) with the help of Mary Allison Cook, a wheelchair user for the past 23 years. She will lead us through a number of How To's for the wheelchair user. In this video you will learn the important aspects of how to choose a wheelchair that is right for you.

Learn everything about Spinal Cord Injuries

Recognising the need to disseminate information about comprehensive management of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) took the initiative to develop elearnSCI.org, a web-based teaching and educational resource. elearnSCI.org specifically addresses the current lack of professional development opportunities for medical and paramedical professionals involved in SCI Management due to the limited access of up-to-date SCI training and learning materials/ resources. The content has been developed by 332 leading SCI professionals and educationists from around the world and reflects realities in both high and low resource settings. The content has been informed by the most up-to-date SCI research and as such will be of relevance to students, those new to the field of SCI and to SCI practitioners everywhere. The Asian Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN), Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), Livability and the Lifetime Care and Support Scheme partnered with ISCoS to develop this resource, with financial support from Access to Health Care.

The milestones of sexual development model

Introduction

The men and women who come to us for help are profoundly vulnerable. They feel broken, unable to enjoy the basic human pleasure of being sexual. Clinically, cases which first appear to be simple dysfunction may later reveal extensive defects in sexual development. The focus of this article is on deeply troubled men and women with intrapsychic obstacles to intimacy stemming from family-of-origin issues.

Some of our most blocked patients experienced sexual abuse, and appropriately staged treatment for them is well defined (Maltz, 2001). However, perhaps two thirds of them were not sexually abused, yet standard behavioral exercises are too advanced and inappropriate for them. How can we identify and help these clients, whose sexuality never developed normally or whose sexual identity never evolved?

Read the rest here.