From Nogo to go

Neuroscience Recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury is limited by multiple inhibitors of axonal regeneration, such as the myelin-associated protein Nogo. Sekine et al. found that ORL1, a receptor for the opioid peptide nociceptin, also blocked axonal regeneration through mechanisms that partially depended on the Nogo receptor NgR1. In mice, an ORL1 antagonist improved motor function recovery and axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. These effects were accentuated in Ngr1 -deficient mice, suggesting a possible clinical benefit to using a combination of ORL1 and NgR1 blockers to treat spinal cord injury. Sci. Signal. 11 , eaao4180 (2018).