Blind Tadpoles Learn Visually After Researchers Graft Eyes Onto Tails and Treat Them with Neurotransmitter Drugs
Tufts UniversityBlind tadpoles were able to process visual information from eyes grafted onto their tails after being treated with a small molecule neurotransmitter drug that augmented innervation, integration, and function of the transplanted organs. The work, which used a pharmacological reagent already approved for use in humans, provides a potential road map for promoting innervation – the supply of nerves to a body part – in regenerative medicine.