Microchannel Nerve Regeneration 1
Microchannel Nerve Regeneration 1
Benjamin Maimon
MIT Media Lab
This image shows peripheral nerve fibers regenerating through a microchannel, each channel designed to be 200 microns in both width and height. The individual nerve fibers carrying touch sensation from the skin as well as those carrying control signals to activate muscles are the tiny yellow, red, and green circles, surrounded by a protective fibrous ring.
I took this image to understand the molecular composition of the individual nerve fibers within each channel. The number, size and type of nerve fibers are indicative of the health of the nerve, which improves gradually over the regeneration process. I was specifically interested in learning whether similar fibers regenerate together or in different channels.