Long-term use of a drug commonly prescribed for nerve pain could be used to restore limb function in patients with spinal cord injuries, a study suggests.

Mice treated with gabapentin during the study were able to regain roughly 60% of their forelimb function in a skilled walking test - those who received a placebo only regained about 30%.

Gabapentin works by blocking a protein involved in the development of axons - long, slender nerve fibres which transmit messages for the nervous system.

The protein puts the brakes on the growth of these axons when synapses, junctions between two nerve cells, form - meaning the fibres grow longer after injury.

According to the study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the regained function in mice occurred after four months - equivalent to nine years for humans.


Andrea Tedeschi, assistant professor of neuroscience at the Ohio State University, said: "There is some spontaneous recovery in untreated mice.

"But it's never complete. The treated mice still have deficits, but they are significantly better.

"This research has translational implications because the drug is clinically approved and already prescribed to patients.

"I think there's enough evidence here to reconsider how we use this drug in the clinic. The implication of our finding may also impact other neurological conditions such as brain injury and stroke."