Targeting Central Nervous System Regeneration with Cell Type Specificity

There is now compelling evidence suggesting that different neuronal subtypes display heterogeneous regenerative responses and possess specific activation requirements. Although the level of regeneration currently achievable is impressive, it fails to yield robust functional recovery. Given what is known about cellular heterogeneity, current strategies are likely biased to cell types with a particular transcriptomic profile. More information on growth programs within specific neuronal populations is required to overcome this barrier to growth. Going forward, it will be useful to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the genetic and functional diversity that exists within the numerous populations of CNS neurons. This will enable researchers to create tailored and cell type-specific regenerative interventions that have the potential to restore functions lost through SCI.