A primary goal of regenerative medicine is to replace neurons that are lost in neurodegenerative disorders and to promote the integration of new neurons into brain circuits.
They say that technology could represent a new approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers say they have discovered a technique that can reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model of the disease.
The study published in Nature was carried out in isolated human cells and in mice.
Xiang-Dong Fu and his team from the San Diego School of Medicine at the University of California say their results suggest that certain brain cells called astrocytes can be converted to functional dopaminergic neurons using a one-step method.
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For example, Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons in a region of the brain that is responsible for reward and exercise.
“The fact that we were able to produce so many neurons in such a relatively simple way was a big surprise.”
Dr. Fu said: “Researchers around the world have tried many ways to create neurons in the laboratory using stem cells and other means so that we can better examine them and replace lost neurons in neurodegenerative diseases.
Astrocytes produce a protein that prevents them from becoming neurons.
Researchers say removing this protein converts them into fully functional neurons that repopulate the lost neural circuitry, restore dopamine levels, and correct motor deficits in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease.
However, they warn that more research is needed before the approach can be applied to humans.
The researchers administered the treatment directly to part of the mouse brain, which is responsible for regulating motor activity and reward behavior, and the part of the brain that typically loses dopamine-producing neurons in Parkinson’s disease.
Dopamine levels were restored to a level comparable to that of normal mice.
In the treated mice, a small subset of astrocytes converted to neurons, increasing the number of neurons by approximately 30%, the study said.
A control group of mice received sham treatment.
In contrast, the control mice showed no improvement.
They remained completely free from symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for the rest of their lives.
Using two different measurements of limb movement and response, the treated mice returned to normal within three months of a single treatment.
He added: “This opens up a whole new way to develop therapies to” rebuild “damaged brains in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.”
Robert Howard, professor of geriatric psychiatry at University College London, said the results were an “exceptional scientific discovery”.
Professor Tara Spiers-Jones of the British Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh and Deputy Director of the Center for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh said: “While the principle behind this study is remarkable and promising, it is important to note that it is in mice with group sizes of three to eight and there is still a long way to go to translate this into treatment for humans. “
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