Regrowing Limbs: Can People Regenerate Body Parts?: Scientific American

Regrowing human limbs.

The components of regrowing nerves which support the regeneration of irradiated salamander limbs.

Forelimbs of juvenile axolotls do not regenerate when amputated in a previously irradiated region. They usually do regenerate, however, if they have also been denervated shortly after irradiation and well before amputation. Five series of experiments are reported which define the conditions permitting this paradoxical regeneration. Crushing the nerves of the brachial plexus proved a satisfactor...

Cells from subcutaneous tissues contribute to scarless skin regeneration in Xenopus laevis froglets.

BACKGROUND Mammals cannot regenerate the dermis and other skin structures after an injury and instead form a scar. However, a Xenopus laevis froglet can regenerate scarless skin, including the dermis and secretion glands, on the limbs and trunk after skin excision. Subcutaneous tissues in the limbs and trunk consist mostly of muscles. Although subcutaneous tissues beneath a skin injury appear d...

Spinal cord lesions shrink peripersonal space around the feet, passive mobilization of paraplegic limbs restores it

Peripersonal space (PPS) is the space surrounding us within which we interact with objects. PPS may be modulated by actions (e.g. when using tools) or sense of ownership (e.g. over a rubber hand). Indeed, intense and/or prolonged use of a tool may induce a sense of ownership over it. Conversely, inducing ownership over a rubber hand may activate brain regions involved in motor control. However,...

The zebrafish as a model of heart regeneration.

Regeneration is a complex biological process by which animals can restore the shape, structure and function of body parts lost after injury, or after experimental amputation. Only a few species of vertebrates display the capacity to regenerate body parts during adulthood. In the case of the heart, newts display a remarkable ability to regenerate large portions of myocardium after amputation, al...