Time-dependent adaptations of damaged neurons and their microenvironment in the regenerating adult zebrafish spinal cord.
Overview
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers complex cellular and extracellular responses that disrupt neuronal connectivity and hinder repair. While mammals have limited regenerative abilities, zebrafish achieve functional recovery through coordinated neuroprotection and plasticity. Here, we examined how structural and functional adaptations of damaged spinal neurons interact with extracellular matrix (ECM) dynamics during regeneration in adult zebrafish. We found that injured neurons undergo reversible changes in cellular properties and synaptic input, mediated mainly by glutamatergic signaling. These modifications coincide with a transient ECM reorganization marked by increased deposition of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Enzymatic CSPG degradation paradoxically partially impaired long-term axonal regrowth and locomotor recovery. Thus, CSPG-rich ECM exerts a dual role: initially restricting plasticity but subsequently supporting structural stabilization and regeneration. Our findings highlight a temporally coordinated interplay between neuronal excitability, synaptic remodeling, and ECM reorganization as key determinants of spinal cord repair, offering mechanistic insights for enhancing nervous system regeneration.
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Data
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- doi:10.5061/
dryad.bnzs7h4qj , at Dryad; found in DataCite
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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 8 authors, 13 MeSH terms, 7 funders, 87 references, 10 RRIDs.
Cite
This paper
Lafouasse, L., Koutsogiannis, K., Dai, Y.-W. E., Del Vecchio, L., Pedroni, A., Tsagkogiannis, D., Habicher, J., & Ampatzis, K. (2026). Time-dependent adaptations of damaged neurons and their microenvironment in the regenerating adult zebrafish spinal cord. Science advances, 12(10), eaea2882. https://
BibTeX
@article{lafouasse2026ti
author = {Lafouasse, Leslie and Koutsogiannis, Konstantinos and Dai, Yu-Wen E and Del Vecchio, Lisa and Pedroni, Andrea and Tsagkogiannis, Dimitrios and Habicher, Judith and Ampatzis, Konstantinos},
title = {{Time-dependent adaptations of damaged neurons and their microenvironment in the regenerating adult zebrafish spinal cord}},
journal = {Science advances},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {12},
number = {10},
pages = {eaea2882},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
issn = {2375-2548},
doi = {10.1126/
url = {https://
pmid = {41790887},
pmcid = {PMC12965314}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Lafouasse, Leslie
AU - Koutsogiannis, Konstantinos
AU - Dai, Yu-Wen E
AU - Del Vecchio, Lisa
AU - Pedroni, Andrea
AU - Tsagkogiannis, Dimitrios
AU - Habicher, Judith
AU - Ampatzis, Konstantinos
TI - Time-dependent adaptations of damaged neurons and their microenvironment in the regenerating adult zebrafish spinal cord
T2 - Science advances
J2 - Sci Adv
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 12
IS - 10
SP - eaea2882
SN - 2375-2548
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science
DO - 10.1126/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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"container-title": "Science advances",
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"family": "Lafouasse",
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{
"family": "Dai",
"given": "Yu-Wen E"
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{
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"given": "Andrea"
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"family": "Tsagkogiannis",
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"family": "Habicher",
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"family": "Ampatzis",
"given": "Konstantinos"
}
],
"container-title-short":
"volume": "12",
"issue": "10",
"page": "eaea2882",
"DOI": "10.1126/
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"PMCID": "PMC12965314",
"ISSN": "2375-2548",
"publisher": "American Association for the Advancement of Science",
"URL": "https://
"language": "en",
"issued": {
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