Intrinsic Axonal factors in Growth and Regeneration

当大脑或脊髓受损时，神经纤维就会被切断。在脊髓损伤的情况下，这会扰乱大脑和身体之间通过脊髓的连接。其结果是瘫痪和损伤水平以下的感觉丧失。为了恢复患者的功能，有必要刺激切断的神经纤维再生。脊髓中阻滞性分子的存在以及损伤部位周围形成的疤痕组织抑制了再生。此外，脊髓神经纤维的再生能力天生就很差。现在有一些治疗方法可以消除疤痕组织中的一些抑制作用，但只有在神经纤维再生的活力保持较低的情况下，这些治疗才会部分有效。福塞特和霍尔特实验室之前的研究已经确定了一种新的方法，可以增强神经纤维的再生活力。赠款申请调查了如何将这一发现应用于脊髓损伤的治疗。

When the brain or spinal cord are damaged nerve fibres are cut. In the case of spinal cord injury this disrupts the connection between the brain and the body via the spinal cord. The result is paralysis and loss of sensation below the level of the injury. In order to bring back function to patients it is necessary to stimulate the cut nerve fibres to regenerate. Regeneration is inhibited by the presence of blocking molecules in the spinal cord, by the scar tissue that forms around the injury site. In addition spinal cord nerve fibres have an intrinsically poor ability to regenerate. Treatments are now available to remove some of the inhibition from scar tissue, but these will only be partly effective if the vigour of regeneration of the nerve fibres remains low. Previous research from the Fawcett and Holt laboratories has identified a new way in which the regenerative vigour of the nerve fibres can be boosted. The grant application investigates ways in which this discovery can be made into a treatment for spinal cord injury.