Progress towards regenerating the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Most of the symptoms resulting from spinal cord injury are due to the interruption of the long tracts that interconnect the brain and spinal cord. Thus, promoting regeneration of these tracts is considered a clinically relevant approach to enhancing recovery of function in patients with spinal cord in¬jury. Finding a way to induce regeneration of the cortico‐spinal tract (CST) is of particular importance because this pathway mediates voluntary movement. Even small increments in function could be of great importance for people who have suffered SCI. Here, I will describe our studies that seek to develop interventions to promote the regeneration of CST axons in mice and rats in ways that may be translatable to the clinic. The approach uses genetically modified mice in proof of concept experiments to identify key molecular pathways followed by interventional approaches using viral vectors and small molecules to target the same pathways. I will describe the limited regenerative growth of the CST that occurs in normal rodents and the degree to which regenerative growth can be enhanced. A key question yet to be resolved whether the regenerative growth of CST axons that can be achieved is capable of mediating recovery of motor function.