Disclosed herein is a method of promoting sustained survival, sustained regeneration, in a lesioned mature neuron, sustained compensatory outgrowth in a neuron, or combinations thereof. The method comprises contacting the lesioned mature neuron with an effective amount of an inhibitor of PTEN and an effective amount of an inhibitor of SOCS3 to thereby promote survival and/or regeneration and/or compensatory outgrowth of the neuron. Therapeutic methods of treatment of a subject with a neuronal lesion by administration of a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitor of PTEN and a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitor of SOCS3, are also disclosed, as are pharmaceutical compositions and devices for use in the methods.
