Timed dendrite-axon routing of mitochondria enables successful repair in the injured central nervous system

Neural insults and neurodegenerative diseases typically result in permanent functional deficits and represent a growing social and economic problem in our aging society. As the central nervous system of adult mammals only has a limited regenerative capacity, identifying cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable neuronal regeneration forms a critical step towards designing future pro-regenerative therapies. Within this project we aim to validate our intriguing findings and innovative hypothesis that dendritic/synaptic remodeling upon neuronal injury is essential for axonal regeneration, and assess whether adequate intra-neuronal energy channeling could underlie the observed antagonistic interplay between dendrite and axon regrowth in the central nervous system. Thereto, this work will combine in vitro and in vivo approaches and include molecular, biochemical, morphological and functional tools in mice. Identification of underlying regulatory molecules via omics approaches, and confirmation and validation of our findings, will generate pivotal insights into how re-directing mitochondrial trafficking/functioning may promote neuronal repair in the mammalian central nervous system.