Birth control for brain neurons
July 29, 2003
Nitric Oxide regulates stem cell division in the adult brain; Strategy
seen for repairing brain damage caused by neurodegenerative disease and
stroke
Most neurons in the mammalian brain are produced during embryonic
development. However, several regions of the adult brain continue to spawn
large numbers of neurons through the proliferation of neural stem cells.
Moreover, it is becoming clear that these new neurons are integrated into
existing brain circuitry.
Now, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered that a
molecule called nitric oxide (NO) is a pivotal, natural regulator of the
birth of new neurons in the adult brain. The study, published in this week's
issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that
blocking nitric oxide production stimulates neural stem cell proliferation
and hence dramatically increases the number of neurons that are generated in
the brains of adult rats.
Importantly, the new neurons that arise as a consequence of blocking
nitric oxide production display properties of normal neurons, and they
appear to contribute directly to the architecture of the adult brain. The
study suggests that modulating nitric oxide levels might be an effective
strategy for replacing neurons that are lost from the brain due to stroke or
chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and
Huntington's disease.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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