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1: Ann Neurol. 2004 Aug;56(2):221-7.

Folic acid supplementation enhances repair of the adult central nervous system.

Iskandar BJ, Nelson A, Resnick D, Pate Skene JH, Gao P, Johnson C, Cook TD,
Hariharan N.

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792,
USA. iskandar@neurosurg.wisc.edu

Folic acid supplementation has proved to be extremely effective in reducing the
occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs) and other congenital abnormalities in
humans, suggesting that folic acid can modulate key mechanisms for growth and
differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). To prevent NTDs, however,
supplemental folate must be provided early in gestation. This suggests that the
ability of folic acid to activate growth and differentiation mechanisms may be
confined to the early embryonic period. Here, we show that folic acid can
enhance growth and repair mechanisms even in the adult CNS. Using lesion models
of CNS injury, we found that intraperitoneal treatment of adult rats with folic
acid significantly improves the regrowth of sensory spinal axons into a grafted
segment of peripheral nerve in vivo. Regrowth of retinal ganglion cell (RGC)
axons into a similar graft also was enhanced, although to a smaller extent than
spinal axons. Furthermore, folic acid supplementation enhances neurological
recovery from a spinal cord contusion injury, showing its potential clinical
impact. The results show that the effects of folic acid supplementation on CNS
growth processes are not restricted to the embryonic period, but can also be
effective for enhancing growth, repair, and recovery in the injured adult CNS.
Copyright 2004 American Neurological Association

PMID: 15293274 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]