Abstract
For functionally appropriate neural pathways to be re-established after spinal transections, severed axons must sprout, regrow across the lesion, and then find and re-innervate their appropriate postsynaptic targets. Although spinal axons can regenerate, the formation of a dense glial scar at the lesion effectively blocks regrowth in adult mammals. However, implantation of peripheral nerve grafts between the cut ends of the cord has been effective in permitting some axons to re-grow completely across the lesion. In lower vertebrates, spinal regeneration occurs without surgical intervention, facilitating studies of the subsequent synaptogenesis. New synapses are formed by regenerating axons, but the axons often occupy novel regions of the cord and they reconnect with novel targets. Little evidence is available concerning the specificity or appropriateness of these new connections.
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© 1982 Dr. S. Bernhard, Dahlem Konferenzen, Berlin
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Frank, E. (1982). Adaptive and Maladaptive Regeneration in the Spinal Cord. In: Nicholls, J.G. (eds) Repair and Regeneration of the Nervous System. Dahlem Workshop Reports, vol 24. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68632-0_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68632-0_15
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