"A new study in the journal Cell Reports has identified a new biological pathways that neurons can use to repair damage. When looking at neuronal repair, researchers have typically focused on the regrowth of axons. But researchers at Penn State took a slightly different approach, instead looking at the repair of dendrites. In neurons from the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the researchers removed all dendrites from neuronal cells, making them unable to send and receive messages. Instead of dying, the cells were able to regrow the lost dendrites in a matter of hours, much more quickly than axons regrowth happens. The biological pathway the cell uses to regrow dendrites appears to be separate from that used to regrow axons, the researchers found. Since scientists weren't even sure that dendrites could regrow, they still don't have an idea of what proteins are involved in this process but the researchers hope that understanding dendrite regeneration will one day help humans with brain injuries."



http://news.psu.edu/story/299739/2014/01/10/research/researchers-find-new-pathway-neuron-repair