MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Scientists using a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise have enabled paralyzed rats to walk again, signaling a breakthrough for people confined to wheelchairs, a science journal said.
Researchers at the University of Zurich and California said that the regeneration of severed nerve fibers is not required to enable paralyzed rats to learn to walk again. Scientists believe that the same methods used in the animal tests could be applied to people with spinal injuries.
Nature Neuroscience magazine said the tests involved rats that were suffering from spinal injuries and that had no voluntary movement in their hind legs. Rats were set walking on a treadmill and given drugs to stimulate neurotransmitters and then electrical currents were applied below the point of injury.
After daily treadmill sessions the rats were able to walk again of their own accord. Researchers believe the same techniques could be applied to patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. Scientists said that human trials could start in five years time.
