title: Restoring function after spinal cord injury: promoting spontaneous regeneration with stem cells and activity-based therapies.
abstract: Although neural regeneration is an active research field today, no current treatments can aid regeneration after spinal cord injury. This article reviews the feasibility of spinal cord repair and provides an overview of the range of strategies scientists are taking toward regeneration. The major focus of this article is the future role of stem cell transplantation and similar rehabilitative restorative approaches designed to optimize spontaneous regeneration by mobilizing endogenous stem cells and facilitating other cellular mechanisms of regeneration, such as axonal growth and myelination.
authors.affiliation: The International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 707 North Broadway, Room 518, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Visar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Belegu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oudega
authors.forename: Devin S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gary
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McDonald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D006801:Humans; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology