A new mouse model of an inherited form of dystonia has shown the spinal cord is the driver of the condition, overturning previous understanding that the movement disorder is caused by disruption of neural circuits in the brain. The connection was demonstrated by selectively deleting torsin family 1 member A (TOR1A), the gene that causes dystonia, in the neurons of the spinal cord only.

Onward Medical NV reported initial patient enrollment in its Hemon early feasibility study and first-in-human trial of its ARC implantable pulse generator. The study will examine stabilization of hemodynamic function in patients with a spinal cord injury. It is taking place at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). “Implanting into a human for the first time is an important step forward for our neurostimulation technology, designed to help refine and implement epidural stimulation therapy in patients with spinal cord injury,” Dave Marver, CEO of Onward, told BioWorld.

In two separate studies, researchers have identified how peripheral nerve injury can lead to increased pain sensitivity. The studies were published on May 25, 2022, in Nature and May 26, 2022, in Science, respectively. The mechanisms they identify could lead to new therapeutic approaches to chronic pain and/or pain hypersensitivity.