In a possible boost to cerebral palsy research, scientists have
discovered that a certain protein protects against the death of
nerve cells in the brains of mice. The protective protein is
called Nmnat1. The researchers found that high levels of this
protein greatly diminished the destruction of brain cells
deprived of oxygen and blood flow. Patients with cerebral palsy
often suffer from this kind of brain damage just before, during
or after birth when their brain cells don’t receive enough
oxygen. Patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other kinds
of diseases rooted in degeneration of brain cells might also be
helped by the research finding. The scientists speculated that
if they could make drugs that would stimulate the production of
Nmnat1, they could decrease the number of cells that undergo
necrosis. Necrosis is an injury that, when it occurs in the
brain, leads to cells quickly swelling, bursting and dying. The
work was done at the Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis by Dr. David M