Suppression of the onset of myelination extends the permissive period for the functional repair of embyronic spinal cord

The onset of myelination (dysmyelination) was delayed until well into the restrictive period for embryonic spinal cord repair in order to assess a potential inhibitory role for myelin in the functional regeneration of brainstem-spinal projections after spinal transection in the embryonic chicken. In such a dysmyelinated embryo, a subsequent transection of the thoracic cord as late as E15 resulted in complete neuroanatomical repair and functional recovery.