Spinal cord injury in vitro: modelling axon growth inhibition

Over the past three decades, tremendous progress has been made in elucidating mechanisms underlying regenerative failure after spinal cord injury and in devising therapeutic approaches to promote functional nerve regeneration. Various in vitro assays have been developed using brain and/or spinal cord neuronal cells to study axon growth in conditions that represent the post-injury environment. This review outlines the current models used to dissect, analyze and manipulate specific aspects of spinal cord injury leading to axon growth inhibition.