Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis have identified a chain reaction that triggers the regrowth of some
damaged nerve cell branches, a discovery that one day may help improve treatments
for nerve injuries that can cause loss of sensation or paralysis.
The scientists also showed that nerve cells in the brain and
spinal cord are missing a link in this chain reaction. The link, a protein
called HDAC5, may help explain why these cells are unlikely to regrow lost
branches on their own. The new research suggests that activating HDAC5 in the
central nervous system may turn on regeneration of nerve cell branches in this
region, where injuries often cause lasting paralysis.