This book has two major themes: one, to provide a general un derstanding of the biology of spinal cord injury (SCI) in ani mal models and their relationship to naturally occurring inju ry in man, and secondly, to review novel means to induce functional recovery from spinal cord injury based on develop mental biophysics and physiology. These are new innovations in the treatment of SCI, born of disciplines that have not re ceived much attention from investigators interested in the re pair and regeneration of the Central Nervous System (CNS). They include development of 4-Aminopyridine for chronic SCI; oscillating electrical fields and polymer infusion for acute SCI. Biochemistry, neurotransplantation techniques, and phar macological approaches have long dominated this literature. Curiously though, it is these former techniques that are more practical and are rapidly moving into human clinical studies, or have already begun then. All of these clinical therapies have been developed at the Center for Paralysis Research at Purdue University, mirroring the backgrounds and interests of the electrophysiologists and biophysicists of our Research Center's faculty. Two of the three experimental therapies for SCI devel oped at Purdue University are now in human clinical trials, and a third will soon begin. They frame the emphasis of this text.

1 A Brief Primer on Spinal Cord Injury

1.1 Epidemiology
2 The Behavioral Catastrophe is Rooted in Injury to White Matter
2.1 The Ground Plan of the Spinal Cord
2.2 Characteristics of SCI
3 The Scar As a Barrier To Regeneration
3.1 Inhibitory Molecules
3.2 Other Cells Important to SCI
4 Treating the Acute and Chronic Injury: Historical Perspective
5 Concerning Behavioral Models for Spinal Cord Injury in Animals
5.1 When Walking is Not Walking
5.2 Injuring the Cord and Probing its Anatomy
6 Axonal Regeneration
6.1 Collateral Sprouting
6.2 A Neurons Journey: Integrating Guidance Cues
7 Treatment Possibilities of the New Biology
7.1 Restoration
7.2 Repair
7.3 Regeneration
8 Biologically Produced Electrical Fields: Physiology Spoken Here
8.1 Concerning Naturally Produced DC Voltage Gradients
8.2 The Skin Battery and Electric Embryos
9 Endogenous Voltages and the Reaction of the Neuron to Injury
10 The Responses of Isolated Nerve Fibers in Culture to Applied DC Voltages
10.1 Historical Perspective
10.2 Galvanotaxis: Rules and Trends
10.3 Extracellular Voltages and the Choices Neurons Make
11 Enhancing Spinal Cord Regeneration in situ with Applied Electric Fields
11.1 The Control of Regeneration of Nerve Fibers in the Fish Spinal Cord by Applied Electric Fields
11.2 The Anatomy of Regeneration of Spinal Cord Nerve Fibers in the Laboratory Rat and Guinea Pig
11.3 Guiding Spinal Cord Axons into Rubber Tubes with Applied Voltages
11.4 Anatomical Responses to Applied Voltages by Non-Neuronal Cells Important To Spinal Cord Injury: The Macrophage
12 Recovery of the CTM Reflex in Spinal Injured Guinea Pigs after Exposure To Applied Extracellular Voltages
13 From a Laboratory Tool To a Clinical Application
14 Naturally Occurring Spinal Injury in the Dog as a Model for Man
14.1 Clinical Trials of OFS in the Paraplegic Dog
14.2 Recovery of Function in Paraplegic Dogs
14.3 Combined Results of Both Clinical Trials of OFS
15 Sealing the Breach in Cell Membranes with Hydrophilic Polymers
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Spinal Cord Fusion: Proof of Concept
15.3 Repairing a Crush Injury with PEG
16 Recovery of Behavioral and Physiological Function in vivo
16.1 Polymer Injection Into the Blood Supply
16.2 Safety of Intravenous Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
17 PEG Application in Clinical Cases of Canine Paraplegia
17.1 The Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers
18 Conclusion
References.