Research Techniques Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control survival, death and growth of a neuron during development and after injury, both in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. After an injury to the nervous system, some neurons die, while other neurons survive and attempt to regenerate. Our research is designed to promote survival and regeneration. Many neurons die via an active process called apoptosis.
Apoptosis is a coordinated process started by an external trigger, and resulting in cell death.
In between, signals inside the cell organize the cell death process. Our goal is to understand these signals with the aim of intervening to increase cell survival. The regeneration of neurons appears to be inhibited by astrocytes, the most numerous cell type in the nervous system. Astrocytes normally provide a favorable environment for neurons, e.g., during development they promote neuronal migration and process outgrowth. Identifying the specific gene products that are responsible for the permissive or inhibitory actions of astrocytes as well as their mechanism of action is a major effort underway in this laboratory.