Been doing a little reading to see if theres anything that may help with nerve repair, and found an interesting article on Brain Injuries.
A little snippet:
3. IGF-1 in the CNS Pathologies
IGF-1 plays an important role in brain growth and development [23], and it is involved in repair responses to damage for both the central and peripheral nervous system [24–26]. IGF neurotrophic activity, together with its binding proteins and signalling receptors, is suggested to be fundamental in the recovery of neural tissue from injury [27]. This evidence is supported by the CNS response to injury through the upregulation of the IGF-1 expression.
In this sense different studies concerning the CNS have revealed an impressive IGF-1 induction after different brain insults such as ischemia [28, 29] and cortical injuries [30–32] as well as injuries of the spinal cord [33]. The major role of IGF-1 in hypoxic/ischemic damage, through its modulation of the cellular response stimulating the repair mechanisms, is increasingly being recognized. Serum IGF-1 levels have been proved to be depressed following acute stroke in the human being [29, 34], while in rodent models brain IGF-1 levels resulted in increase in the perilesional stroke area [28], thus likely revealing a neuroprotective role. It seems also that poststroke serum IGF-1 levels are correlated with outcome from ischemic brain injury, with its higher levels reducing lethality [34]. In the wake of this evidence many studies have shown the beneficial effect of IGF-1 administration after stroke, reducing neuronal loss and infarct volume, while increasing glial proliferation [35, 36].
A significant body of data has identified IGF-1 both as a major regulator of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) physiology and as an important factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) [12]. A recent study demonstrates that lower IGF-1 serum levels are associated with an increased risk of developing AD dementia, while higher serum results are related to greater total brain volumes and may protect against subclinical and clinical neurodegeneration [37].
Moreover, IGF-1 appears to be linked with repair processes after brain damage, controlling the regeneration of injured peripheral nerves [38] seeming to be relevant in ameliorating clinical outcomes in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [38]. Some data also suggest that aberrations in IGF expression or function are involved in brain tumorigenesis such as gliomas, neuroectodermal tumours, and neuroblastomas [39].
Considering the role of IGF-1 in repair processes, neurogenesis, and posttraumatic anxiety disorders, some authors have conducted experimental studies on the administration of IGF-1..
I'm no scientist, but found it interesting
