Optic Nerve Regeneration: New Frontiers

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), like other central nervous system neurons, fail to regenerate their axons after traumatic injury or in disease. Several factors have been associated with poor regenerative outcome including: agedependent downregulation of an intrinsic capacity for axon growth, presence of inhibitory proteins in myelin and glial scar, neurotrophic factor deprivation and expression of inhibitory factors that are intrinsic to the neurons themselves