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Unlike the expansive growth and adaptation of neurons in early development, central nervous system neurons undergo little or no regeneration following injuries, such as those to the spinal cord, that occur during adulthood. This failure of resilience has been attributed to a combination of external factors like damaging molecules from scar tissue and internal factors like a loss of the ability to grow.
8 CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON INJURY AND REGENERATION
What is the nervous system W
slow to recover? How can we harness our knowledge of neurodevelopment to repair damage to the brain and spinal cord?
eizmann Institute scientists are
it receives from neighboring tissue. Researchers will also draw insights from organisms such as sh and amphibians, who regenerate neurons with far greater e ciency than mammals do, and insights are expected to lead to therapires and tools to rewire and regenerate injured neurons and return individuals to full health after injury such as stroke or accidents.
using a variety of methods to understand the role of these various factors, which may shed light on
how to impel damaged neurons to regenerate. Research in this center will address such fundamental questions as the response to injury and the growth potential of damaged neural tissue—which is due not only to the neuron itself, but also to the support