Monday, April 11, 2005
Cerebral Suicides
Scientists at MIT have found a protein that stops neurons from committing apoptosis, or programmed cell suicide. They hope that braking brain cell death will help them rejuvenate damaged and diseased brain tissue in adults. The protein, called CPG 15, may also let them grow neurons outside the body and replace dead brain cells like broken screws.
The scientists said that neurons are commonly killed off during the early brain development when brain cell rapidly proliferate. But they pointed out that little is known how apoptosis works in the adult brain. Elly Nedivi, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, said that the protein can "drastically affect the final size and shape of the cortex." He said that extra CPG 15 gives rats bigger brains with "grooves and furrows like evolved mammalian brains with larger surface area." Now if only size equalled smarts.
The scientists said that neurons are commonly killed off during the early brain development when brain cell rapidly proliferate. But they pointed out that little is known how apoptosis works in the adult brain. Elly Nedivi, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, said that the protein can "drastically affect the final size and shape of the cortex." He said that extra CPG 15 gives rats bigger brains with "grooves and furrows like evolved mammalian brains with larger surface area." Now if only size equalled smarts.
