REGENERATION OF IMMATURE MAMMALIAN SPINAL-CORD AFTER INJURY

In this review we describe the growth of regenerating fibres through l esions in immature mammalian spinal cord. In newborn opossums and foet al rats, repair occurs rapidly and reliably without antibodies, implan ts or bridges of undamaged spinal cord, In the neonatal opossum one ca n compare recovery from lesions made to the CNS at various stages of d evelopment in the animal and in culture. As the CNS matures, the capac ity for regeneration ceases abruptly. In particular, the extracellular matrix and molecules associated with glia have been shown to play a r ole in promoting and inhibiting regeneration. Major problems concern t he precision with which regenerating axons become reconnected to their targets, and the specificity needed for recovery of function.