PNAS, 2015 · DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502057112 · Published: May 12, 2015
Spinal cord injuries often result in permanent paralysis due to the failure of axons to regenerate and reconnect with their original targets. This study investigates whether artemin (ARTN) can promote the regeneration of sensory axons to the brainstem after a dorsal root crush injury in rats. The researchers found that systemic artemin treatment promotes the regeneration of sensory axons to the brainstem, and importantly, these axons reestablish functional synapses with neurons in the cuneate nucleus. The study also demonstrates that GFRα3, a receptor for ARTN, is expressed on both myelinated and unmyelinated sensory neurons, which helps explain ARTN's ability to promote regeneration of both large and small sensory neurons.
Artemin may represent a promising therapy for restoring sensory function after spinal cord injury due to its ability to promote targeted functional regeneration to the brainstem.
The study suggests that guidance cues persist in the adult CNS, and adult neurons retain some intrinsic ability to follow these cues to appropriate target areas.
The study indicates that a temporal pattern of trophic support might be more important than continuous activation of growth pathways.