In rodents, the environment in which they live affects the regeneration of damaged nerve cells. When the animals grow up with many peers and in large cages equipped with toys, tunnels, swings and running wheels, their nerve cells show an increased growth after an injury. This is reported by a research team headed by Professor Dr. Simone Di Giovanni, who recently moved from HIH and Tübingen University to Imperial College London. The paper has been published in the current issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine. In their study, the scientists also identified several molecules that played a key role in the mechanism. Artificially activating them in the body let injured nerve cells to recover to a greater extent as well.

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A neuron that grows long processes after treatment with the activator molecule.
Copyright: Di Giovanni, 2019