The familiar concept of the inability of injured neurones in the mammalian central nervous system to regenerate has been deep-rooted in the minds of neurologists since the time of Ramon y Cajal. However, modern research techniques and novel experimental manipulations have begun to reveal the existence of a robust potential for axonal regrowth even in these mature neurones. More importantly, recent work suggests that with the provision of an appropriate stimulus, an intrinsic neurone in the central nervous system can even alter its supposed stable morphological form with the result that a new axon-like process can be formed from either the cell body or a dendrite to replace the damaged axon which has failed to regrow.

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