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Regeneration and repair in the nervous system is a process by which damaged tissue undergoes regrowth or renewal, leading to eventual restoration of nervous system function. This process happens more readily with axons, synapses, neurons and glia in the peripheral nervous system.
The digestive form of Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) involves damage to the nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract and problems with peristalsis. Here, Khan et al show that infection causes damage to the colon that can be reversed if it is successfully treated early in the process.
Externally applied electrical stimulation over the cervical spinal cord improves arm and hand functions in people with chronic tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury.
What mechanisms enable brains to maintain behaviors after neuron loss? Based on behavioral, neuronal and modeling data, Wang et al. find that unsupervised cellular and systems-level restorative mechanisms can ensure behavioral resilience.
A study in mice identifies formin 2 as a regulator of axon regeneration and a potential target for promoting nerve repair after peripheral nerve injury.
An article in Science Advances reports a biohybrid neural interface device that integrates a cell layer on a microelectrode array, achieving high-resolution mapping of neuronal inputs and restoration of nerve function.