New brain cells listen before they talk

	Tweet

Newly created neurons in adults rely on signals from distant brain regions to regulate their maturation and survival before they can communicate with existing neighboring cells—a finding that has important implications for the use of adult neural stem cells to replace brain cells lost by trauma or neurodegeneration, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in The Journal of Neuroscience.

In fact, certain important synaptic connections—the circuitry that allows the brain cells to talk to each other—do not appear until 21 days after the birth of the new cells, according to Charles Greer, professor of neurosurgery and neurobiology, and senior author of the study, In the meantime, other areas of the brain provide information to the new cells, preventing them from disturbing ongoing functions until the cells are mature.

It was established in previous studies that several regions of the adult brain continue to generate new neurons, which are then integrated into existing brain circuitry. However the mechanisms that allowed this to happen were not known.

To answer this question, Greer and Mary Whitman, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Yale, studied how new neurons are integrated into the olfactory bulb, which helps discriminate between odors, among other functions.

They found that new neurons continue to mature for six to eight weeks after they are first generated and that the new neurons receive input from higher brain regions for up to 10 days before they can make any outputs. The other brain regions then continue to provide information to the new neurons as they integrate into existing networks.

The discovery of this previously unrecognized mechanism is significant, said Greer, because “if we want to use stem cells to replace neurons lost to injury or disease, we must ensure that they do not fire inappropriately, which could cause seizures or cognitive dysfunction.”

###

The Journal of Neuroscience 27: 9951-9961 (October 2007)

Contact: Jacqueline Weaver

203-432-8555
Yale University

RELATED STORIES:
Poor blood pressure control ups stroke risk   First seizure may fuel thinking trouble in kids   What doesn’t kill the brain makes it stronger   Short Stressful Events May Improve Working Memory   Indications of Alzheimer’s Disease May Be Evident Decades Before First Signs of Cognitive Impairment   Nicotine creates stronger memories, cues to drug use   Scientists find blood protein link to Alzheimer’s   New technique reveals brain function   Brain area found to be smaller in cocaine addicts   Mechanism of Alzheimer’s Suggests Combination Therapy Needed   The Memories You Want to Forget Are the Hardest Ones to Lose   Calcium May be the Key to Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]