Dr. Rochlin's research at Loyola
University Chicago focuses on the growth of nerves associated with taste.
First, it is important to understand what his research is attempting to
explain. In the tongue, nerves will grow in a specific manner and innervate the
organ very predictability. But when a growing nerve from this tissue is to be
removed and placed on a growth medium, the pattern of growth exhibits no
discernable pattern whatsoever. This
then leads to the belief that in the tissue there are various signals (both
positive and negative) acting on the growing nerve which guides its growth.
So far Dr. Rochlin's lab has found
that Semaphorin 3A is a chemical that is secreted by the tongue that repels the
growth of a nerve. Dr. Rochlin and his lab are now studying the role of Eph/ephrin
signals and how they can affect the growth of neurons. The long-term goal of
this research is to develop treatments for those suffering from nervous system damage. The understanding of how various
chemicals can influence the growth of neurons can be very key in nerve growth
and regeneration.
While this research is very
exciting, there is also some new research from the University of Wisconsin
Madison that could go along with this. The Svaren lab has found a role of
Schwann cells in nerve regeneration. First, it is important to understand what
are Schwann cells. These are cells that are found in the peripheral nervous
system, outside of the spinal cord and brain, that are responsible for
myelination of axons. When the axons of nerves are myelinated, they are able to
transmit their respective signals significantly faster than their unmyelinated
counterparts.
The Svaren lab has observed that in some
instances, for a brief time period soon after nerve damage, the Schwann cells
alter their function and aid in the regeneration of neurons. They are proposing
that Schwann cells start to dissolve the myelin in the damaged nerves.
Ironically, myelin is essential for optimal nerve signal transmission but is
also detrimental to nerve regeneration. The Svaren lab has also stated that
these alternatively functioning Schwann cells are simultaneously secreting
signals that attract blood cells to aid in the clean up of damage, as well as
repair and growth of the nerves.
This new
function of Schwann cells is an outstanding discovery on its own, but what
really fascinates me about this is how the change in function is being done.
The Svaren lab has found that the only process occurring in the Schwann cells
is that activation of a different subset of genes. This is radically different
than all other nerve regeneration research that is being done because all
others rely on the use of stem cells, while this relies on the activation of
different genes within an already mature nerve cell.
Since the
Schwann cells are the same, and the only change is the activation of genes
within the cell itself, along with the fact that this process only occurs for a
brief time period following nerve damage, I theorize that the damaged neurons
must be releasing some sort of signal that is activating the repair function of
Schwann cells. Then, if my assumption is correct, combining these findings with
Dr. Rochlin’s work on nerve growth signaling, it could be possible in the near
future to control the growth of neurons. Using Dr. Rochlin’s work on
categorizing various signals as either growth promoting or inhibiting, in
conjunction with these activated Schwann cells could make it possible to
artificially manipulate the growth of axons in the human body.
Although this is all very
hypothetical, I believe if researchers are able to isolate the signal that
damaged neurons are secreting, along with a methodical distribution of both
growth promoting and inhibiting substances, we
could selectively innervate parts of the human body that have lost nervous
connection many years ago. This, in essence, could potentially give people back
partial or even complete function of damaged tissues.
To learn more about the University of Wisconsin Study, you
can click the link below.
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