Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Bridging the gap in spinal cord regeneration

Peripheral nerve grafts promote the growth of nerve fibers in severed rat spinal cords.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Schwab, M.E. & Bartholdi, D. Degeneration and regeneration of axons in the lesioned spinal cord. Physiol. Rev. 76, 319–370 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cheng, H., Cao, Y. & Olson, L. Spinal cord repair in adult paraplegic rats: Partial restoration of hind limb function. Science 273, 510–513 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bracken, M.B. et al. A randomized, controlled trial of methylprednisolone or naloxone in the treatment of acute spinal cord injury. N. Engl. J. Med. 322, 1405–1411 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bartholdi, D. & Schwab, M.E. ethylprednis-olone inhibits early inflammation processes but not ischemic cell death after experimental spinal cord lesion in the rat. Brain Res. 672, 177–186 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Schnell, L., Schneider, R., Kolbeck, R., Barde, Y.A. & Schwab, M.E. Neurotrophin-3 enhances sprouting of corticospinal tract during development and after spinal cord lesion. Nature 367, 170–173 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bregman, B.S. et al. Recovery from spinal cord injury mediated by antibodies to neurite growth inhibitors. Nature 378, 498–501 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Keirstead, H.S., Hasan, S.J., Muir, G.D. & Steeves, J.D. Suppression of the onset of myelination extends the permissive period for the functional repair of embryonic spinal cord. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 69, 11664–11668 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Varga, Z.M., Bandtlow, C.E., Erulkar, S.D., Schwab, M.E. & Nicholls, J.G. The critical period for repair of CNS of neonatal opossum (Monodelphis domestica) in culture: Correlation with development of glial cells, myelin and growth inhibitory molecules. Eur. J. Neurosci. 7, 2119–2129 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sauve, Y., Sawai, H. & Rasminsky, M. Functional synaptic connections made by regenerated retinal ganglion cell axons in the superior colliculus of adult hamsters. j Neurosci. 15, 665–675 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Thanos, S. Adult retinofugal axons regenerating through peripheral nerve grafts can restore the light-induced pupilloconstriction reflex. Eur. J. Neurosci. 4, 691–699 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Tello, F. La influencia del neurotropismo en la regeneracion de los centros nerviosos. Trab. Lab. Invest. Biol. 9, 123–159 (1911).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kao, C.C., Bunge, R.P. & Reier, P.J. eds. Spinal Cord Reconstruction. (Raven, New York, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  13. David, S. & Aguayo, A.J. Axonal elongation into peripheral nervous system bridges after central nervous system injury in adult rats. Science 214, 931–933 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Richardson, P.M., Issa, V.M.K. & Aguayo, A.J. Regeneration of long spinal axons in the rat. J. Neurocytol. 13, 165–182 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Morrissey, T.K., Kleitman, N. & Bunge, R.P., Schwann cells in vitro. II. Myelination of sensory axons following extensive purification and heregulin-induced expansion. J. Neurobiol. 28, 190–201 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Xu, X.M., Guenard, V., Kleitman, N., Aebischer, P. & Bunge, M.B. A combination of BDNF and NT-3 promotes supraspinal axonal regeneration into Schwann cell grafts in adult rat thoracic spinal cord. Exp. Neurol. 134, 261–272 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schwab, M. Bridging the gap in spinal cord regeneration. Nat Med 2, 976–977 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0996-976

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0996-976

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing