Regeneration and repair in the nervous system articles from across Nature Portfolio

Dutta et al. screen human stem-cell–derived retinal ganglion cells and find a clinically studied 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 maleate is neuroprotective in human stem cells and in mouse glaucoma models. The drug reprograms metabolisms, preserving RGCs, and retina-to-brain visual function in vivo.

No existing actuator technology provides biocompatible, controllable, fatigue-resistant actuation for implantable biohybrid systems. Here, the authors overcome this by engineering the myoneural biophysics of muscle, creating implantable actuators that enable sustained organ modulation.

Simulated closed-loop magnetic stimulation significantly enhances axonal regeneration of the CST following SCI. This effect may be mediated through the activation of the AMPK-CREB-BDNF signaling pathway.

In a major step toward clinical translation, transplanting stem cells into the injured spinal cords of rhesus monkeys improves hand function.

Human-specialized features of immature dentate granule cells (imGCs) formed during adult hippocampal neurogenesis are poorly characterized. Using machine learning-augmented analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data, we have revealed human-specific gene expression but convergent biological processes for imGCs across mammalian species. We further demonstrated functional roles of human imGC-enriched proton-transporting ATPase subtypes in neuronal development.

A polyA-tail-directed RNA sequencing approach that was used to investigate transcriptomic changes in dorsal root ganglia following nerve crush revealed unexpected upregulation of a specific set of B2-SINE transcriptional regulators that facilitate neuronal repair by co-ordinating axon transport and local translation.

Measurements of neurofilament light chain, glial fibrillary acidic protein and contactin 1 in plasma can provide useful prognostic information following traumatic spinal cord injury, according to new research.