As a result of brain injury from neurodegenerative disease, stroke, brain infection or physical trauma, glial cells in the brain form scars that protect neurons from further injury. These are known as glial scars.
However, in the long term, glial scars also block the growth of new neurons, and thus prevent the brain from fully healing.
In the past, attempts to remove glial scars so that neurons can regenerate have not been very successful.
But Professor Gong Chen and his team at Pennsylvania State University have been trying a new approach, which is based on using a set of drugs to reprogram the glial cells within the scar so that they turn into neurons.
The discovered that a cocktail of 4 drugs (namely CHIR99021, DAPT, LDN193189 and SB431542) can efficiently turn human astrocytes (the main glial cell in the brain) into functioning neurons.
So rather than trying to dissolve or remove the glia scar, as previous approaches have tried, Prof Chen is actually converting the scar into new neurons.
Article here: Simple drug formula regenerates brain cells
Published study: Transcriptome Analysis of Small Molecule–Mediated Astrocyte-to-Neuron Reprogramming
After a viral brain infection I had in 2005, I experienced some brain damage, with some of my mental faculties being instantly and permanently damaged or degraded. After this brain infection I also went on to get myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome).
So I am very interested in approaches that can repair brain damage.
Edited by Hip, 04 September 2019 - 01:29 AM.
