Mission
Neurodegeneration is a progressive destruction of the
central nervous system. Neurodegeneration can be triggered
by external factors, such as through stroke or spinal
cord injury, or by as yet undefined internal factors,
such as in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s
diseases or multiple sclerosis. Functional recovery after
neurodegeneration is limited. Because of this limited
recovery, neurodegenerative diseases are the leading cause
of adult disability. However, recent discoveries have
provided new insights into mechanisms of central nervous
system repair and regeneration. Neurodegeneration stimulates
neural stem cells to repopulate lesion sites, induces
new connections to form with partially damaged areas,
and promotes new neural networks for the recovery of lost
functions. These recent discoveries hold the promise for
novel therapies that promote neural repair and functional
recovery after central nervous system injury. The mission
of the Neural Repair Affinity Group is to foster multidisciplinary
collaboration to promote scientific discoveries that will
improve functional recovery after central nervous system
injury and degeneration.
The Neural Repair Affinity Group is a collection of 40
basic and clinical scientists from 14 departments that
focus on topics of degeneration and repair in the central
nervous system. Scientists in the Neural Repair Affinity
Group focus on research issues that include:
1) The mechanisms of initial damage and
neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal
cord injury and Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and
Huntington’s diseases.
2) The formation of new connections, or axonal sprouting,
in the brain and spinal cord after injury
3) The repair of damaged brain and spinal cord with stem
cell transplantation or through the recruitment of endogenous
stem cells within the central nervous system
4) The formation of new neural networks in the brain and
spinal cord through neurorehabilitation and pharmacological
therapies
The core functions of the Neural Repair Affinity Group
are supported by the UCLA Training Program in Neural Repair
and the UCLA Brain Research Institute. The Training Program
in Neural Repair (MF Chesselet-principal investigator)
funds graduate student and post-doctoral research fellowships
to train future investigators in the field, and supports
the Neural Repair Seminar Series. The Neural Repair Seminar
is a weekly series that involves all aspects of the Neural
Repair community through its rotation of speakers from
graduate student, post-doctoral fellow and principle investigator
levels, and invited distinguished visiting professors.
This weekly rotation through different training levels
provides a lively forum for the discussion of new scientific
findings and ideas and the development of collaborations.
· Affinity
Group Summary
· Affinity
Group Participants
· How
to Join
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