Credit: Angelo Lepore Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson University
Phrenic nerve bundle (thick green), with single nerve’s axon drawing off to attach with a leaf-like splay to the diaphragm muscle (orange). The left pane shows a yellowed interior where axon connects to the diaphragm, whereas the right pane, lacking yellow, shows an axon that has detached from the diaphragm. The researchers showed that BDNF-biogel administered at the spinal column can help neurons retain connections to the diaphragm after spinal cord injury in animals.