Collateral Sprouting as a Target for Improved Function after Spinal Cord Injury

Functional recovery after spinal cord injury might be improved by enhancing the extent of innervation through stimulation of collateral sprouting, which is the growth of a new axon along the shaft of a non-injured axon. This review discusses (1) the spontaneous collateral sprouting of uninjured motor and sensory systems that has been shown after spinal cord injury in animal models, (2) experimental treatment strategies that are being developed to enhance collateral sprouting in motor systems and to reduce sensory sprouting which is associated with autonomic dysreflexia and pain, and (3) cell-surface and intracellular signaling mechanisms that are known to regulate axonal branching. The conclusion is that relatively little is known about collateral sprouting in adult mammals after spinal cord injury but that it may contribute to spontaneous functional motor recovery and causes sensory dysfunction. There is some promising data in rodents that collateral sprouting can be modulated for improved function, but the applicability to primates and relevance to human spinal cord injury remains to be determined.