- 1970s: A pioneering group of Center scientists begins to reveal the molecular and architectural lay-out of the myelinated axon, its relationship to how nerve impulses are conducted within the brain and spinal cord, and the underlying basis for recovery of function after MS, and SCI and nerve injury. Ripples of these early discoveries continue to fuel research on nerve regeneration and restoration of nervous system function to this day.
- Early 1980s: Having set the stage for further research on regeneration and functional recovery in the CNS, Dr. Stephen G. Waxman and Dr. Jeffery D. Kocsis are joined by talented young scientists including Dr. Joel A. Black. Together they build a growing team of world-class researchers and make important discoveries that will lay the foundation for the succeeding decades of research on nerve repair.
- Late 1980s: With funds from the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (now United Spinal Association) the Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research is established at Yale University and the West Haven VA Connecticut Healthcare System. The research team hastens the pace of investigations on recovery of function after injury to the spinal cord and brain.
- 1990s to Present: The Center of Excellence on Restoration of Nervous System Function is established through funds from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service. Its mission is to advance the field of rehabilitation through novel molecular and cellular approaches that will preserve and restore function in people with nervous system disorders. The Center’s initial focus on multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury (SCI) expands to include neuropathic pain, stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). With a robust research program that capitalizes on the “genomic revolution”, the Center begins to extrapolate from in vitro and in vivo models to human disease in translational studies.