Review : Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury: New Approaches

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Abstract
Damage to the spinal cord has devastating consequences because injury induces neuronal death, and the severed neural pathway does not regenerate. One of the major challenges in this field is to rescue injured neurons and to stimulate the regrowth of severed axons. An equally important task is the re-establishment of precise connections by regenerating axons with their targets and remyelinating the regenerated axons so that they can propagate action potentials. In our view, the major hurdles that must be overcome to restore function after spinal cord injury can be viewed as a recapitulation of steps normally taken during development. Recent basic research advances provide cautious optimism that therapies will be available for acute and chronic spinal cord injury. The Neuroscientist 1:321-327, 1995