According to a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, sodium helps tadpoles regenerate amputated tails. This discovery is important because in the future it could help scientists find ways to treat spinal cord damage or limb loss in humans. Scientists found that after administering a drug high in sodium ions to the tadpoles, the injured cells regenerated as late as 18 hours after amputation. Young tadpoles have the ability to regenerate lost tails, but this ability quickly fades with age. Sodium ions appear to reactivate this ability. If a regenerative treatment for humans was developed, it would be hugely important to the medical field.
Posted for J. Pennoyer
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