A potential active ingredient for nerve regeneration
Published in General News.
Nerve fibers (axons) transmit brain and spinal cord signals through nerves to target muscles or skin, and vice versa. Damage to these fibers thus leads to a disruption of connections and, consequently, to paralysis or numbness. The chances of recovery depend mainly on the speed at which the severed fibers regenerate as this process is time-limited, so usually only short distances can be overcome.
Consequently, nerve injuries in the legs and arms often lead to permanent damage, which later may be accompanied by neuropathic pain. Therefore, a key therapeutic goal of research is the development of therapies to accelerate nerve fiber growth. However, despite intensive worldwide research, such therapies still need to be created.
This goal may have been successfully approached by the research team from Cologne led by Dr. Philipp Gobrecht and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fischer, Director of the Center for Pharmacology. In a newly published study in the Journal of Neuroscience, they investigated proteins called vasohibins that influence the state of the cytoskeleton in axonal growth cones (microtubules).
They found that the balance between detyrosinated and tyrosinated microtubules differs between adult and newborn animals. This is relevant because axonal growth in newborns is nearly twice as high as in adults due to optimally tyrosinated microtubules.
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