Researchers Demystify A Fountain Of Youth In The Adult Brain
Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that a
"fountain of youth" that sustains the production of new neurons
in the brains of rodents is also believed to be present in the
human brain. The existence of a vital support system of cells
around stem cells in the brain explains why stem cells by
themselves can’t generate neurons in a lab dish, a major
roadblock in using these stem cells for injury repair. "We
believe these findings will have important implications for
human therapy," said Chay Kuo, M.D., Ph.D., George Brumley Jr.
assistant professor of Cell Biology, Pediatrics and
Neurobiology, and senior author of the study. The study is the
cover story in the July issue of Neuron, published online July
14. The scientists found that neighboring "epithelial-like"
ependymal cells ““ not stem cells themselves ““ maintain a
special structure that keeps neural stem cells "neurogenic,"
able to make new neurons. Currently, when neural stem cell