The bright side of the glial scar in CNS repair
Abstract
Following CNS injury, in an apparently counterintuitive response, scar tissue formation inhibits axonal growth, imposing a major barrier to regeneration. Accordingly, scar-modulating treatments have become a leading therapeutic goal in the field of spinal cord injury. However, increasing evidence suggests a beneficial role for this scar tissue as part of the endogenous local immune regulation and repair process. How can these opposing effects be reconciled? Perhaps it is all a matter of timing.
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A small number of blood-derived monocytes participate in default CNS tissue remodeling at late time points even without blood-brain barrier breach.
“A small number of blood-derived monocytes have been observed to participate in the default tissue remodeling response in the CNS at late time points following injury, even in the absence of a breach of the blood–brain barrier [129,130].”
From Macrophage polarization: an opportunity for improved outcomes in biomaterials and regenerative medicine (2012) · cites this paper as [129]
Cites
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Astrocyte reactivity and reactive astrogliosis: costs and benefits
Pekny, M., & Pekna, M. (2014) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00041.2013 · Cited by 934 · see citing works
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“A small number of blood-derived monocytes have been observed to participate in the default tissue remodeling response in the CNS at late time points following injury, even in the absence of a breach of the bloodebrain barrier [129,130].”
BackgroundA Pericyte Origin of Spinal Cord Scar Tissue
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Extracellular Matrix: Functions in the Nervous System
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“For instance, their contribution to the establishment of a dense glial scar initially constitutes a protective barrier to limit the propagation of damage, but also represents a harmful barrier to subsequent neurorepair and neuroplasticity [15].”
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Biomaterial Approaches to Modulate Reactive Astroglial Response
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- Authors
- Rolls, A., Shechter, R., & Schwartz, M.
- Affiliations
- Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Schwartz, Michal
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- Published
- 2009-03
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 235-241
- ISSN
- 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
- 1471-0048
- OpenAlex
- W1996243257
- Cited by
- 674
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 56
- FWCI
- 5.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Spinal Cord Injury Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Nerve injury and regeneration
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
- Keywords
- glial scar, central nervous system injury, axon regeneration, spinal cord injury, neuroprotection
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain Injuries, Cicatrix, Gliosis, Humans, Nerve Regeneration, Neuroglia, Spinal Cord Injuries, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Growth Cones, Neurogenesis
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