Adult mammalian CNS axons show little regenerative capacity following injury, in part because they fail to assemble functional growth cones at their tips. However, axons from the mammalian peripheral nervous system and non-mammalian species show more regenerative potential. Here, Bradkeet al. examine the process of growth cone assembly after axonal injury. Understanding why this process does not always succeed may facilitate the development of treatments for CNS-damage-related disability.
- Frank Bradke
- James W. Fawcett
- Micha E. Spira
