Hi everyone. I am an author, currently working on a young adult series about a boy who has total control over his autonomic nervous system (he can control his heart rate, flood his system with adrenaline, heal himself, grow nerves, etc.). In this universe, there are a select number of people who share his abilities, but this boy is the only one who can regenerate nerves in the central nervous system. Of course, I have to take liberties with fact to make these things "true," but I'm trying to base my explanations in science as much as possible.

 

In explaining why this boy is different from his peers (why he can regenerate, say, nerves in the spinal cord as opposed to just a nerve in his finger), I'm leaning towards saying that he is genetically coded to produce a certain protein. That protein allows him to grow CNS nerves. Am I even on the right track?

 

I've done research on the brain and the nervous system, but I am willing to do more. Any help you can give me, or resources you can point me to, would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sincerely,

Andrea Ring

 

Link removed

Try researching (separately) neurogenic protein, chickadee brain cells, and human neuroplasticity.