Salamanders can easily regenerate their nervous systems after injury, including their spinal cord, brain, and retina. Humans, however, lack this regenerative ability in the central nervous system. Injuries to the central nervous system are therefore permanent and can cause paralysis and blindness, among other effects. In this class, we’ll start by exploring the nervous system and the characteristics of some of the cell types contained within it. Then, we’ll take a closer look at why we are unable to regenerate these cell types as well as salamanders can and how that poses a pressing problem in human health. Finally, we’ll talk about some of the research focusing on finding ways to increase the regenerative ability of the human nervous system, including gene therapy through CRISPR and stem cell therapy.