Neural Injury & Repair

Among the most common and devastating disorders we face today are those that involve the degeneration and death of nerve cells, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Traumatic injury of the brain and spinal cord, loss of brain tissue due to stroke, and damage to nerve cells due to loss of myelin sheaths in multiple sclerosis also afflict large segments of the population.

The adult brain is far more “plastic” or adaptable than was once believed. Friedman Brain Institute scientists and clinicians are translating this new understanding into strategies aimed at preventing nerve cell loss and restoring function even after loss has occurred. New treatments range from the use of drugs to enhance neural plasticity to cognitive training to deep brain stimulation, a revolutionary technology that works with the brain to modulate neural function.