After injury, mature neurons in adult brains revert back to an embryonic state. new brain cells are continually produced in the hippocampus and subventricular zone, replenishing these brain regions throughout life. The brain’s ability to repair or replace itself is not limited to just two areas. Instead, when an adult brain cell of the cortex is injured, it reverts (at a transcriptional level) to an embryonic cortical neuron. And in this reverted, far less mature state, it can now regrow axons if it is provided an environment to grow into.
In promoting neuronal growth and repair, one of the essential genetic pathways involves the gene Huntingtin (HTT), which, when mutated, causes Huntington’s disease, a devastating disorder characterized by the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. the “regenerative transcriptome” — the collection of messenger RNA molecules used by corticospinal neurons — is sustained by the HTT gene.
— source University of California – San Diego | Apr 15, 2020
