Central Nervous System Regeneration
Injuries to the brain and spinal cord heal much more slowly than peripheral nerve injuries, if they heal at all. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms inhibiting nerve regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS), and in finding ways to overcome them.
Chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans (CS-GAGs) are a major constituent of the astroglial scar tissue surrounding nerve injuries, and appear to be a significant contributor to regeneration inhibition. We are trying to determine which categories of CS-GAGs are most inhibitory, the mechanism(s) of inhibition, and ways to neutralize the mechanism(s).
This project has been supported by funding from the NIH and GTEC.
Sub-Projects
Overcoming CS-GAG-Mediated-Inhibition of CNS Regeneration
- Hyun-Jung Lee
Mechanism of CS-GAG-mediated Neuronal Inhibition
- Lohitash Karumbaiah