Intraocular BDNF promotes ectopic branching, alters motility and stimulates abnormal collaterals in regenerating optic fibers.

A great deal of effort has been invested in using trophic factors and other bioactive molecules to promote cell survival and axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system. Far less attention has been paid to investigating potential effects that trophic factors may have that might interfere with recovery. In the visual system, BDNF has been previously reported to prevent regeneration.

Growth dynamics and morphology of regenerating optic fibers in tectum are altered by injury conditions: an in vivo imaging study in goldfish.

The dynamic behavior of axons in systems that normally regenerate may provide clues for promoting regeneration in humans. When the optic nerve is severed in adult goldfish, all axons regenerate back to the tectum to reestablish accurate connections. In adult mammals, regeneration can be induced in optic and other axons but typically few fibers regrow and only for short distances.