Distinguished researchers review the latest scientific understanding of spinal cord injury (SCI), focusing on the mechanisms causing paralysis after spinal cord trauma, the molecular determinants of neural regeneration, and methods for improving damaged function. The authors examine the role of intracellular Ca2+ in neuronal death, the possibility of spinal learning, growth-promoting molecules for regenerating neurons, and the biochemistry and cell biology of microtubules. Among the treatment possibilities discussed are cell transplantation strategies beyond the use of fetal spinal cord tissue, remyelination in spinal cord demyelination models, high steroid therapy immediately after SCI, and the mixed use of anti- and proinflammatories. Comprehensive and highly promising, Neurobiology of Spinal Cord Injury summarizes and integrates the great progress that has been made in understanding and combating the paralysis that follows spinal cord injury.

Peter W. Baas, PHD, Department of Anatomy, The University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison Hughes Barbeau, PHD, Ecole de Physiotherapie et d'Ergotherapie, Universite McGill, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Juan C. Bartolomei, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Michael S. Beattie, PHD, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus Marc Belanger, PHD, Departement de Kinanthropologie, Universite du Quebec, Montreal, Canada Laurent Bouyer, PHD, Department de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Barbara S. Bregman, Division of Neurobiology, Department of Cell Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC Jacqueline C. Bresnahan, PHD, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus Edna Brustein, PHD, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Departement de Physiologie, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Jean-Rene Cazalets, CNRS Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Mouvements, Marseille, France Connie Chau, PHD, Departement de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Gordon K. T. Chu, MD, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Canada Trevor Drew, PHD, Departement de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Alyson Fournier, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Nathalie Giroux, MSC, Departement de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Charles A. Greer, PHD, Department of Neurosurgery and Section of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Claude-Andre Grenier, DVM, Departement de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Robert G. Kalb, MD, Departments of Neurology and Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT J. D. Kocsis, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and PVA/EPVA Neuroscience Research Center, VA Hospital, West Haven, CT Fumio Nakamura, MD, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT and PVA/EPVA Neuroscience Research Center, VA Hospital, West Haven, CT Tomas A. Reader, MD, PHD, Departement de Physiologie, Universite de Montreal, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Quebec, Canada Serge Rossignol, MD, PHD, Departement de Physiologie, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Faculte de Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada John D. Steeves, CORD (Collaboration on Repair Discoveries), The University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada Stephen M. Strittmatter, MD, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Takuya Takahashi, MD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Charles H. Tator, MD, PHD, FRCS(C), Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Wolfram Tetzlaff, CORD (Collaboration on Repair Discoveries), Departments of Zoology, Anatomy, and Surgery, The University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada Michael Tymianski, MD, PHD, FRCSC, Division of Neurosurgery and Playfair Neuroscience Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario, Canada Li-Hsien Wang, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Stephen G. Waxman, MD, PHD, Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and PVA/EPVA Neuroscience Research Center, VA Hospital, West Haven, CT Wise Young, MD, PHD, Neuroscience Center, Rutgers, The State University, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Piscataway, NJ