How Neurons Navigate Their Environment: Insights That Could Transform Medicine
01-21-2025

How do neurons, the building blocks of our nervous system, know where to go during growth and repair?
Understanding this process is key to developing treatments for nerve injuries and neurological diseases. Recent research from Purdue Biological Sciences Professor Daniel Suter sheds light on this question, offering hope for advancements in regenerative medicine and more.
The Role of Growth Cones
At the tip of every growing neuron is a structure called a growth cone.
"Think of it as a little car that can move around driven by a motor,” says Suter. “There is also a navigation system that detects various information in the environment and transmits it to the engine helping the neuron connect to the right places."
This navigation isn’t random—it’s influenced by cues in the surrounding environment including stiffness. The softer or stiffer the material, the growth cone adjusts its movement to adapt.
What the Study Found
The study, published in Molecular Biology of the Cell, reveals that growth cones initially respond faster to soft substrates compared to stiff substrates when facing a new stiffness in the environment. Suter’s team used a computational model informed with data from biophysical experiments to mimic these movements, helping them better understand the mechanics behind this behavior.
This fine-tuned response allows neurons to navigate through complex environments during development or after an injury. Their findings could pave the way for therapies that enhance nerve repair or treat conditions like spinal cord injuries.
Why This Matters
The implications of this discovery are broad:
- Helping Nerves Regrow After Injury: By understanding how neurons respond to their environment, scientists could develop treatments to encourage regrowth in damaged nerves.
- Improving Outcomes for Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights into neuronal behavior could inform therapies for conditions like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
- Unlocking Neural Development Mysteries: Learning how neurons connect during early development could lead to interventions for developmental disorders.
Purdue’s Impact on Science and Medicine
This research highlights Purdue University’s role in driving innovation in neuroscience. By tackling fundamental questions about how neurons grow and connect, studies like this lay the groundwork for life-changing medical breakthroughs.
Looking Ahead
The more we understand how neurons interact with their surroundings, the closer we come to finding solutions for repairing and protecting the nervous system. This research brings us one step closer to therapies that could transform the lives of those affected by nerve injuries or neurological diseases.
About the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University
Purdue Biological Sciences is the largest department in the Life Sciences at Purdue University. As part of Purdue One Health, we are dedicated to pioneering scientific discoveries and transformative education at the cutting edge of innovation. From molecules to cells, from tissues to organisms, from populations to ecosystems - we bring together multiple perspectives, integrating across biological scales to advance our understanding of life and tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. Learn more at bio.purdue.edu/.
Writer: Alisha Willett, areferda@purdue.edu
Source: Daniel Suter, dsuter@purdue.edu