Implanted neurons become part of the brain, mouse study shows

Good news everybody!!

Implanted neurons become part of the brain, mouse study shows

Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg have grafted neurons reprogrammed from skin cells into the brains of mice for the first time with long-term stability. Six months after implantation, the neurons had become fully functionally integrated into the brain. This successful, lastingly stable, implantation of neurons raises hope for future therapies that will replace sick neurons with healthy ones in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients, for example.

The Luxembourg researchers published their results in the current issue of Stem Cell Reports.

The LCSB research group around Prof. Dr. Jens Schwamborn and Kathrin Hemmer is working continuously to bring cell replacement therapy to maturity as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. Sick and dead neurons in the brain can be replaced with new cells. This could one day cure disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The path towards successful therapy in humans, however, is long. "Successes in human therapy are still a long way off, but I am sure successful cell replacement therapies will exist in future. Our research results have taken us a step further in this direction," declares stem cell researcher Prof. Schwamborn, who heads a group of 15 scientists at LCSB.

In their latest tests, the research group and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute and the University Hospital Münster and the University of Bielefeld succeeded in creating stable nerve tissue in the brain from neurons that had been reprogrammed from skin cells. The stem cell researchers' technique of producing neurons, or more specifically induced neuronal stem cells (iNSC), in a petri dish from the host's own skin cells considerably improves the compatibility of the implanted cells. The treated mice showed no adverse side effects even six months after implantation into the hippocampus and cortex regions of the brain. In fact it was quite the opposite -- the implanted neurons were fully integrated into the complex network of the brain. The neurons exhibited normal activity and were connected to the original brain cells via newly formed synapses, the contact points between nerve cells.

If they are able to replicate the same results into humans, which they are hoping to do, then this will be a big deal.

They article talks about wanting to use this procedure for people with Parkinson's. If they can replicate the dopamine producing neurons & have it send out dopamine then they will have essentially cured Parkinson's.

This will be great for many other brain problems, not just Parkinson's.

Thats good news

Does this mean they can add to a healthy brain? Make it bigger and better?

This is cool, but where are we to get the neurons from?

Looks like a new black market item may be opening up in a city near you!

originally posted by: pl3bscheese
This is cool, but where are we to get the neurons from?

Looks like a new black market item may be opening up in a city near you!

The stem cell researchers' technique of producing neurons, or more specifically induced neuronal stem cells (iNSC), in a petri dish from the host's own skin cells

a reply to: VoidHawk

Thanks, I missed that bit.

Very cool, indeed.

It won't work as well on humans. Human brains aren't as evolved as mice brains. Squeek squeek.

Science daily has some really good articles, I have been reading it every day for years. I get the DTs when there is no new stuff around holidays.

oops, question was already answered :p

RickyMouse: I think they could figure out how to adapt the process so that it works on human brains.

I knew from the first time I'd heard of it that stem cell research was going to lead to big things.