Degeneration and regeneration of ganglion cell axons.

The retino-tectal system has been used to study developmental aspects of axon growth, synapse formation and the establishment of a precise topographic order as well as degeneration and regeneration of adult retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons after axonal lesion. This paper reviews some novel findings that provide new insights into the mechanisms of developmental RGC axon growth, pathfinding, and target formation. It also focuses on the cellular and molecular cascades that underlie RGC degeneration following an axonal lesion and on some therapeutic strategies to enhance survival of axotomized RGCs in vivo. In addition, this review deals with problems related to the induction of regeneration after axonal lesion in the adult CNS using the retino-tectal system as model. Different therapeutic approaches to promote RGC regeneration and requirements for specific target formation of regenerating RGCs in vitro and in vivo are discussed.