The Role of Extracellular Matrix Molecules, Glial Cells, and Microglia in Regeneration of the Leech CNS

Abstract

What factors influence regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS)? In adult mammalian CNS, it is known that the failure to regenerate is not owing to an intrinsic property of adult neurons. Environmental factors provided by grafts of peripheral nerve and embryonic nerve are critical for allowing regeneration. The CNS of the leech, Hirudo medicinalis, does regenerate functional connections after injury, so that an animal can survive well 3 wk after its cord has been transected (Baylor and Nicholls, 1971; Wallace et al., 1977). Adult leech neurons can also grow processes and form synapses in culture. In this simple nervous system we have focused on molecular and cellular components that play a role in regeneration.KeywordsGlial CellMicroglial CellNerve CellNeurite OutgrowthExtracellular Matrix MoleculeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.