Peripheral vs. CNS Nerve Regeneration
Explain why damage to peripheral nerve fibers is often reversible, whereas damage to CNS fibers rarely is.
Damage to peripheral nerve fibers is often reversible, whereas damage to central nervous system (CNS) fibers is typically permanent due to differences in their regenerative capacities.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Regeneration
- Schwann Cells Support Regrowth: Schwann cells, which myelinate PNS axons, play a crucial role in nerve repair by releasing growth factors and forming a regeneration tube that guides the axon back to its target.
- Less Inhibitory Environment: The PNS has a relatively growth-permissive environment, meaning it lacks the inhibitory factors present in the CNS.
- Wallerian Degeneration and Repair: After injury, the distal portion of the nerve degenerates (Wallerian degeneration), but the axon can regrow along the Schwann cell pathways if the cell body remains intact…
Damage to peripheral nerve fibers is often reversible, whereas damage to central nervous system (CNS) fibers is typically permanent due to differences in their regenerative capacities.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Regeneration
- Schwann Cells Support Regrowth: Schwann cells, which myelinate PNS axons, play a crucial role in nerve repair by releasing growth factors and forming a regeneration tube that guides the axon back to its target.
- Less Inhibitory Environment: The PNS has a relatively growth-permissive environment, meaning it lacks the inhibitory factors present in the CNS.
- Wallerian Degeneration and Repair: After injury, the distal portion of the nerve degenerates (Wallerian degeneration), but the axon can regrow along the Schwann cell pathways if the cell body remains intact…
Damage to peripheral nerve fibers is often reversible, whereas damage to central nervous system (CNS) fibers is typically permanent due to differences in their regenerative capacities.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Regeneration
- Schwann Cells Support Regrowth: Schwann cells, which myelinate PNS axons, play a crucial role in nerve repair by releasing growth factors and forming a regeneration tube that guides the axon back to its target.
- Less Inhibitory Environment: The PNS has a relatively growth-permissive environment, meaning it lacks the inhibitory factors present in the CNS.
- Wallerian Degeneration and Repair: After injury, the distal portion of the nerve degenerates (Wallerian degeneration), but the axon can regrow along the Schwann cell pathways if the cell body remains intact…
