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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Dorsal Root Ganglion Injection and Dorsal Root Crush Injury as a Model for Sensory Axon Regeneration
Published on: May 3, 2017
Rodent spinal cord injury models for studies of axon regeneration
Oswald Steward1, Rafer Willenberg2
1Reeve-Irvine Research Center, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States.
Abstract:
For over a century, axon regeneration has been considered the Holy Grail for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. Although there are other factors that could contribute to improving function, restoring the long motor and sensory tracts that are interrupted by SCI has the greatest potential for actually reversing paralysis, restoring the brain's control of autonomic functions mediated by sympathetic and parasympathetic circuits of the spinal cord and restoring sensation. Accordingly and in keeping with the overall theme of this special issue, this review focuses narrowly on rodent SCI models for studies of axon regeneration.

