Neural Note #1

          This TED Talk by Professor James St. John, "Creating our future with spinal injury therapy" shares the possibility of a surgical procedure that could completely change the world of rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injuries. Professor St. John is the head of the center for Neurobiology at Griffith University in Australia. There are over 12,000 Spinal Cord Injuries each year in the United States alone and over 300,000 people living with a SCI in the United States. Depending on the severity and level of the injury, individuals that sustain a fall, motor vehicle accident, or athletic injury often spend the duration of their life disabled. They can lose sensation, motor abilities, even the ability to breathe or speak. This setback can leave individuals unable to continue life as they knew it. People of all ages, races, are affected and the prevalance is on the rise. Regaining independence and creating a life of fulfillment and satisfaction is a primary goal of occupational therapy and a big job at that. What if there was a possibility to regain the neural connection where the spinal cord was cut? What if sensation and motor abilities could be regained with a surgical procedure?
           Professor St. John explains that the olfactory cells the line your nose, are essentially killed with each odor they detect. Imagine that, the very job you are designed and made to perform is also what will kills you. As soon the olfactory cells die, new cells are automatically reginerated to take their place. This TED Talk explains the possibility and research that is being done take the olfactory cells that are self reginerating, and place them in the spinal cord. This procedure has been tested in one individual in London and proved to be successful.
          This idea of creating a bridge in the spinal cord is far from becoming a common procedure. It is expensive and invasive. Long term effects are hardly understood and doctors are not trained. To me, there is also a question of ethics. Is it ethical to take stem cells from one area and implant them into another area without the full picture? I chose this TED Talk because I found great fascination in the neurobiology course and the guest lecture about olfactory nerves. This procedure, though far fetched, could make changes in the world of therapy. I would recommend this TED Talk to other students in this course, especially those with an interest in research or neurobiology.

 Reference:
St. John, James. (2018, July). Creating our future with spinal injury therapy. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/james_st_john_creating_our_future_with_spinal_cord_injury_therapy