title: Spinal cord repair strategies: why do they work?
abstract: There are now numerous preclinical reports of various experimental treatments promoting some functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Surprisingly, perhaps, the mechanisms that underlie recovery have rarely been definitively established. Here, we critically evaluate the evidence that regeneration of damaged pathways or compensatory collateral sprouting can promote recovery. We also discuss several more speculative mechanisms that might putatively explain or confound some of the reported outcomes of experimental interventions.
authors.affiliation: Neurorestoration Group, Wolfson Wing, Hodgkin Building, Guy's Campus, King's College London, London Bridge, London SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bradbury
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: McMahon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*