Review of the regeneration mechanism of complete spinal cord injury

This review discusses the potential mechanisms behind the recovery of motor function after a complete spinal cord injury, focusing on research conducted by Professor Dai Jianwu's team. The team has been working on spinal cord injury repair for 20 years. One proposed mechanism involves the regrowth of long nerve fibers (axons) across the injury site to reconnect the original nerve pathways. Another suggests that new nerve cells (neurons) form in the injury area and create a bridge connecting the severed ends of the spinal cord. The research team's work, using collagen scaffolds, indicates that the formation of new nerve connections by new neurons is a more likely explanation for improved motor function than the regrowth of long axons in cases of complete spinal cord injury.

• 1
  Long-distance regeneration of motor axons, such as CST axons, across the injury gap in complete spinal cord injury is not well-supported by objective evidence.
• 2
  Functionally modified collagen scaffolds can guide endogenous neural stem cells to differentiate and form neural bridges, reconnecting the severed ends of the spinal cord.
• 3
  Studies show that modified collagen scaffolds can promote the production of motor neurons (serotonergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic) at the injury site, suggesting the potential for functional recovery.