Spontaneous functional viscerosensory regeneration into the adult brainstem

Comparative postnatal development of spinal, trigeminal and vagal sensory root entry zones

Somatic and visceral sensory information enters the central nervous system (CNS) via root entry zones where sensory axons span an environment consisting of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in the CNS. While the embryonic extension of these sensory axons into the CNS has been well-characterized, little is known about the subsequent, largely postnatal development of the glial elements of the root entry zones. Here we sought to establish a comparative developmental timecourse of the glial elements in the postnatal (P0, P3, P7, P14) and adult rat of three root entry zones: the spinal nerve dorsal root entry zone, the trigeminal root entry zone, and the vagal dorsal root entry zone. We compared entry zone development based on the expression of antigens known to be expressed in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, Schwann cells, radial glial fibres and the PNS extracellular matrix. These studies revealed an unexpected distribution among glial cells of several antigens. In particular, antibodies used to label mature oligodendrocytes (RIP) transiently labelled immature Schwann cell cytoplasm, and a radial glial antigen (recognized by the 3CB2 antibody) initially decreased, and then increased in postnatal astrocytes. While all three root entry zones had reached morphological and antigenic maturity by P14, the glial elements comprising the PNS-CNS interface of cranial root entry zones (the trigeminal root entry zone and the vagal dorsal root entry zone) matured earlier than those of the spinal nerve dorsal root entry zone.

Setting the stage for functional repair of spinal cord injuries: a cast of thousands

Here we review mechanisms and molecules that necessitate protection and oppose axonal growth in the injured spinal cord, representing not only a cast of villains but also a company of therapeutic targets, many of which have yet to be fully exploited. We next discuss recent progress in the fields of bridging, overcoming conduction block and rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI), where several treatments in each category have entered the spotlight, and some are being tested clinically. Finally, studies that combine treatments targeting different aspects of SCI are reviewed. Although experiments applying some treatments in combination have been completed, auditions for each part in the much-sought combination therapy are ongoing, and performers must demonstrate robust anatomical regeneration and/or significant return of function in animal models before being considered for a lead role.

Peripherally-derived olfactory ensheathing cells do not promote primary afferent regeneration following dorsal root injury

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) may support axonal regrowth, and thus might be a viable treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI); however, peripherally-derived OECs remain untested in most animal models of SCI. We have transplanted OECs from the lamina propria (LP) of mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in all cell types into immunosuppressed rats with cervical or lumbar dorsal root injuries. LP-OECs were deposited into either the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), intact or injured dorsal roots, or the dorsal columns via the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ). LP-OECs injected into the DRG or dorsal root migrated centripetally, and migration was more extensive in the injured root than in the intact root. These peripherally deposited OECs migrated within the PNS but did not cross the DREZ; similarly, large- or small-caliber primary afferents were not seen to regenerate across the DREZ. LP-OEC deposition into the dorsal columns via the DREZ resulted in a laminin-rich injection track: due to the pipette trajectory, this track pierced the glia limitans at the DREZ. OECs migrated centrifugally through this track, but did not traverse the DREZ; axons entered the spinal cord via this track, but were not seen to reenter CNS tissue. We found a preferential association between CGRP-positive small- to medium-diameter afferents and OEC deposits in injured dorsal roots as well as within the spinal cord. In the cord, OEC deposition resulted in increased angiogenesis and altered astrocyte alignment. These data are the first to demonstrate interactions between sensory axons and peripherally-derived OECs following dorsal root injury.