Immediate recovery from spinal cord injury through molecular repair of nerve membranes with polyethylene glycol

A brief application of the hydrophilic polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) sw iftly repairs nerve membrane damage associated with severe spinal cord inju ry in adult guinea pigs. A 2 min application of PEG to a standardized compr ession injury to the cord immediately reversed the loss of nerve impulse co nduction through the injury in all treated animals while nerve impulse cond uction remained absent in all sham-treated guinea pigs. Physiological recov ery was associated with a significant recovery of a quantifiable spinal cor d dependent behavior in only PEG-treated animals. The application of PEG co uld be delayed for similar to 8 h without adversely affecting physiological and behavioral recovery which continued to improve for up to 1 month after PEG treatment.-Borgens, R. B., Shi, R. Immediate recovery from spinal cord injury through molecular repair of nerve membranes with polyethylene glyco l.