Conexión de nervios amputados con prótesis motoras : bases biotecnológicas y prueba de concepto de una sinapsis motora biohíbrida

Abstract

The regenerative potential of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS), makes the development of new strategies to improve it and obtain a complete and functional recovery, of great interest. When there is damage to peripheral nerves, the growth and guidance of axons is possible thanks to the presence of Schwann cells (SC). This cell typeis responsible for creating a favorable environment for growth in the distal part of the lesion that innervates the target tissue, in which the connection with the neuronal nuclei has been lost. However, three conditions can result in the inability of the PNS to properly regenerate and maintain the connection between the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the appropriate target tissues. First, if the damage causes a loss of communication between the proximal and distal areas of the damaged neurons, the regenerating axons will lose contact with the favorable environment created by the SCs. This makes it impossible for the axons to grow in the correct direction and ultimately leads to the formation of a neuroma associated with uncontrolled growth. Second, as the PNS transmits both afferent and efferent information, when growth is uncontrolled and without adequate guidance, regenerated neurons innervate a target that is not the correct one, provoking a non-functional reinnervation...