An estimated 11, 000 spinal cord injuries occur each year in the United States and more than 200, 000 Americans suffer from maladies associatedwith spinal cord injury. This includes paralysis, bowel and bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, respiratory impairment, temperature regulationproblems, and chronic pain. During the last two decades, longstandingbeliefs about the inability of the adult central nervous system to heal itselfhave been eroded by the flood of new information from research in theneurosciences and related fields. However, there are still no cures and thechallenge of restoring function in the wake of spinal cord injuries remainsextremely complex. Spinal Cord Injury examines the future directions for research with thegoal to accelerate the development of cures for spinal cord injuries. Whilemany of the recommendations are framed within the context of the specificneeds articulated by the New York Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, the Institute of Medicine’s panel of experts looked very broadly at researchpriorities relating to future directions for the field in general and make recommendationsto strengthen and coordinate the existing infrastructure. Funders at federal and state agencies, academic organizations, pharmaceuticaland device companies, and non-profit organizations will all find thisbook to be an essential resource as they examine their opportunities.