Clinical Lab Products, Aug. 27, 2008 This Reuters article quotes UTMB's Dr. Alexander G. Duarte who oversaw a study that determined that the cough reflex returns after a person receives a lung transplant.  "After lung transplantation, restoration of sensory function of the previously denervated airway represents dynamic changes in the structure and function of the airways months to years after the initial injury," Alexander said. "Thus, the airways have the capacity to repair themselves and reestablish function months after the initial injury." The study has been published in Chest, a publication of the American College of Chest Physicians.