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Very interesting reading but somehow depressing. I can't help thinking that we are hardly scratching the surface... Nic 57/15 On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 7:38 PM, mschild <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Nerve cells regenerate brain > > Wednesday, 03 June 2009 > Garvan Institute > > > New findings throw light on how the brain heals itself and may change the > way > we think about treating chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's > and Alzheimer's. > Neuroscientists at Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research have shown > that nerve cells in the brain produce an anti-inflammatory molecule that > allows the brain to repair itself. > These findings, by Drs Bryce Vissel and Andrea Abdipranoto, are published > online today in the international journal Stem Cells. > Discovery of the brain's capacity to regenerate is very recent. Neural stem > cells were first discovered in the brain in the early 1990s, but it took > scientists a further 10 years to show that they can regenerate nerve cells > in > the brain. > > "Given that we now know regeneration can occur, we want to understand what > drives it and what blocks it, particularly in diseases like Parkinson's and > Alzheimer's." said Dr Vissel. > "We triggered rapid neurodegeneration in the brains of mice, and it was > immediately followed by a very rapid regenerative response. We wanted to > know > why this response could occur so effectively after acute neurodegeneration. > "On further investigation, we found high levels of a molecule known as > Activin > A whenever regeneration occurred. This was especially interesting because > Activin A is released from nerve cells. > "Clearly Activin A was playing an important part in the regenerative > process, > so we triggered neurodegeneration and at the same time blocked Activin A. > The > difference was dramatic. Regeneration all but ground to a halt." > "After these initial experiments, we thought that nerve cells may directly > drive regeneration by releasing Activin A. We came to realise, however, > that > the main action of Activin A was to block inflammation in the brain after > neurodegeneration or injury." > "We confirmed this by introducing another anti-inflammatory molecule, while > continuing to block Activin A. As anticipated, the substituted anti- > inflammatory allowed regeneration to occur." > "Inflammation is the body's way of trying to clear up a mess. We've shown > that, if uncontrolled, it seems to be the very thing that can prevent > regeneration and prevent healing of the brain." > Having done this study in a model of acute degeneration, the group is now > doing the same work in chronic degenerative models. > It is likely that inflammation aggravates existing damage in the central > nervous system of people with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and motor neuron > disease. Vissel and colleagues believe that chronic inflammation is > probably > providing a harmful feedback loop, preventing regeneration and contributing > to > progressive decline. > "Clearly the brain's anti-inflammatory response is not working well in > chronic > neurodegenerative diseases," said Vissel. > "There are a number of studies showing that people who take non-steroidal > anti-inflammatory drugs have a lower risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's > disease." > Should the group confirm that inflammation is blocking regeneration in > Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and motor neuron disease, Activin A and > derivatives > need to be investigated as potential therapeutics. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn