Anatomy of "Regenerating Axons"

In their Report “Repair of adult rat corticospinal tract by transplants of olifactory ensheathing cells” (26 Sept., p. 2000), Ying Li et al. describe destroying unilaterally the upper cervical corticospinal tract (CST) of adult rats by focal electrolytic lesions and then transplanting homologous olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) onto the injury site. They found that the transected CST axons grew through the transplant and elongated into the denervated caudal host tract, forming a continuous bridge across the lesion. These results are relevant because of the possibility of future applications in patients with spinal cord injuries. The anatomical findings shown in the report, however, call for some comment.