July 06, 2022
A new study published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy has shown that rejuvenating the astrocyte niche in the aged brains of mice leads to improved nervous system function at both the cellular and organismal levels [1]. A glia-centric approach In brain aging, neurons are quite literally only half of the story; the other half...
October 22, 2021
Researchers have identified an important mechanism of neurodegeneration that may be useful in treating age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia [1]. These neurons must die Age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, have become more prevalent mostly because of the successes of modern medicine. Today, more people become old enough to fall prey to...
August 06, 2020
A new study published in Cell Stem Cell has shown how astrocytes, glial cells that perform multiple critical functions in the brain, can become neural stem cells (NSCs) in response to injury. Astrocytes' normal functions The term 'astrocyte', meaning star-shaped cell, refers to a very heterogenous population of cells that perform maintenance, management and constructive...
July 03, 2020
Researchers have found that blocking the activity of a single gene causes other cell types to become dopamine-producing neurons, a type of neuron that Parkinson’s disease destroys. What is Parkinson's disease? Parkinson's disease is a progressive, age-related, neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects the motor system and thus movement. Symptoms start gradually; sometimes it begins with...
October 23, 2018
Researchers from the Salk Institute have discovered that a protein called Chrdl1, secreted by astrocytes, is responsible for driving synapse maturation and limiting brain plasticity later in life [1]. Abstract In the developing brain, immature synapses contain calcium-permeable AMPA glutamate receptors (AMPARs) that are subsequently replaced with GluA2-containing calcium-impermeable AMPARs as synapses stabilize and mature....
