Abstract:

Regeneration of damaged innervations in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) has been well documented in both animals and human[1]. After injury, the damaged neurite swells and undergoes retrograde degeneration. Once the debris is cleared, it begins to sprout and restore damaged connections. Damaged axons are able to regrow as long as the perikarya are intact and have made contact with the Schwann cells in the endoneurial channel[2]. Under appropriate conditions, regenerating axons may reinnervate the original target and restore connections and function. This scenario, however, shows only a fraction of events following the injury to the PNS. Papers published in this issue of NRR go beyond the injured neuron and present the data showing the consequences of PNS damage in the central nervous system (CNS). They also discuss the possibility that factors regulating neural proliferation and differentiation in the developing nervous system may be recapitulated after injury and contribute to neural proliferation and adult neurogenesis.