New way to enhance nerve growth following injury discovered
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - 12:02
in Health & Medicine
A mechanism to promote growth in damaged nerve cells as a means to restore connections after injury has been uncovered by scientists who have discovered a key molecule that directly regulates nerve cell growth in the damaged nervous system. "We made the surprising discovery that a protein called Retinoblastoma (Rb) is present in adult neurons," explains the lead researcher. "This protein appears to normally act as a brake -- preventing nerve growth."