Science’s Quest on Advancing Humankind While Simultaneously Curing Neurological Deficits
The subject of neuroscience has been widely studied and throughout history multiple stances have been scrutinized and revolutionized. Many areas of neuroscience have simplified into multiple conduits ranging from chemistry to psychology, to cognitive or molecular relevance. All these STEM facets have rapidly intertwined with one another and more recently have been integrated with technology. Neuroscience has guided many fundamental experiments and inspired many new technological advances. Many are fascinated by the complex system of which the brain is composed and its ability (or inability) to communicate with the nervous system as well as how it operates individually. The fascination has revolutionized distinct areas of neuroscience, technology, medicine, engineering, psychology, chemistry, and even medicine; while also allowing these areas to merge and create new discoveries. These new discoveries have led to the advancement of biomedical appliances and pharmacological expansions. The vast amount of research is rapidly generating new developments proving to add promising value in aiding neuromuscular and neurodevelopmental disorders.
In the article "The effect of a nanofiber-hydrogel composite on neural tissue repair and regeneration in the contused spinal cord," researchers were able to engineer a nanofiber-hydrogel composite with the ability to perform interfacial bonding. This resulted in increased mechanical strength and porosity. Areas of damage or lesions on a spinal cord usually results in the loss of nervous tissue function. Typically, the nervous tissue is unable to heal itself or regenerate new tissues on its own. This experiment involved the use of an adult rat model of spinal cord contusion and the researchers investigated the mechanical support of the nanofiber-hydrogel composite and the effects on the neural tissue generation, through the presence of macrophages, blood vessels, axons, and neural-like cells. Oudega et al. were able to see the composite's effect and ability to limit spinal cord collapse while providing a microenvironment that is sufficient for cell infiltration and tissue formation. Along with this, the nanofiber-hydrogel composite facilitated the formation of new blood vessels, which is important for nervous tissue repair and regeneration. Other injectable materials that have previously been tested have had variable repair and recovery results. However, this composite has significant repair-supporting events leading to the invasion of cells and the formation of new structures where the contusion took place. The researchers propose further experiments involving the nanofiber-hydrogel composite and its use with cells and growth factors to maximize its repair effects, to see further regeneration and repair.
Another noteworthy recent advancement derives from Elon Musk and his project with Neuralink. Forbes magazine featured Elon Musk and his newest developments. The article outline’s that “several chronic and life-limiting conditions were cited as being potentially treatable by Neuralink - ranging from blindness, spinal cord injuries, memory loss, brain damage and even depression” (Alexiou, 2020). This has been notable all throughout many media outlets as it highlights the significant advancement and enormous statement that offers hope for many medical advancements. They point out that “the company’s major breakthrough appears to relate to the number of electrodes engaged (10x more than any other device) allowing for unprecedented levels of data and throughput” (Alexiou, 2020). Musk and his company have explicitly stated they not only are conducting advancements but rather also a cure that seeks to solve multiple neurological disabilities. They have spoken about rectifying paraplegia and allowing an individual to regain sensation and strength so they may walk with full capacity. Another notable statement has been remedying quadriplegia by means of a computer. Neurodivergent conditions such as Autism and it’s social/communication deficits are also being addressed in terms of being cured as well. Neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia or MDD are also topics being targeted. Regardless of many people’s hesitancy these experimental developments allow a sense of hope to anyone affected by these limitations or ailments.
References:
Xiaowei Li, Chi Zhang, Agnes E. Haggerty, Jerry Yan, Michael Lan, Michelle Seu, Mingyu Yang, Megan M. Marlow, Inés Maldonado-Lasunción, Brian Cho, Zhengbing Zhou, Long Chen, Russell Martin, Yohshiro Nitobe, Kentaro Yamane, Hua You, Sashank Reddy, Da-Ping Quan, Martin Oudega, Hai-Quan Mao, (2020) The effect of a nanofiber-hydrogel composite on neural tissue repair and regeneration in the contused spinal cord
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0142961220302246?via%3Dihub
Alexiou, G. (2020, 09 03). Could Elon Musk’s Neuralink Be A Game-Changer For People With Disabilities?Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/gusalexiou/2020/09/08/could-elon-musks-neuralink-be-a-game-changer-for-people-with-disabilities/?sh=3032cae05f97
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