Scar in the injured spinal cord: The news is not all bad

摘要

One of the most vexing issues in the field of spinal cord injury is the accumulation of fibrosis and scar that seems to inhibit the ability of neurons and their axons to repopulate the cord and recover neurological function. The precise role of scarring following spinal cord injury is not really understood, and the cascade of events that occur in the cord are extraordinarily complex and have yet to be fully worked out. Heavy emphasis has been placed on how the prevention of scar accumulation can promote neural regeneration. Indeed, when specific pathways of scar formation following spinal cord injury are inhibited in animal models, neurological recovery is improved.