Peripheral nerve regeneration through nerve conduits evokes differential expression of growth-associated protein-43 in the spinal cord

This study investigates how nerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system affects the spinal cord. Researchers used a nerve conduit to repair nerve gaps in rats and then examined the expression of a protein called growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) in both the regenerating nerve and the spinal cord. The study found that nerve regeneration leads to changes in GAP-43 expression in the spinal cord, suggesting that peripheral nerve injury can influence the central nervous system.

• 1
  Active regeneration of nerve gaps through the conduit was confirmed from 10 days onwards, with varied GAP-43 expression throughout the regeneration tissue.
• 2
  Remarkable differences and local changes appeared in growth-associated protein 43 expression at the spinal cord level, in particular at 20 days post-repair and beyond.
• 3
  GAP-43 protein was first localized in the gracile fasciculus and was homogeneously distributed in the left posterior cord.