Integrin manipulation to improve regeneration.

After central nervous system (CNS) insults, such as spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury, neurons encounter a complex microenvironment where mechanisms that promote regeneration compete with inhibitory processes. Sprouting and axonal re-growth are key components of functional recovery, but are often counteracted by inhibitory molecules. Several strategies are being pursued whereby these inhibitory molecules are either being neutralized with blocking antibodies, with enzymatic degradation or downstream signaling events are being interfered with. Two recent studies ( 1) (,) ( 2) show that activating integrin signaling in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons renders them able to overcome inhibitory signals, and could possibly lead to new strategies to improve neuronal regeneration.