AP51761

//**Implanted neurons become part of the brain, mouse study shows**//
Scientists at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg (LBCS), have been gaining a better understanding of reprogramming skin cells to act as **neurons.** This study is important due the fight against **Parkinson's disease** and future therapies that could help treat various brain disorders by replacing sick neurons with healthy ones. No attempt have been made on humans subjects with Parkinson's disease, but studies conducted on mice have been successful. Mice with sick and dead neurons had skin cells collected in a petri dish which researchers reprogrammed to induced neuronal stem cells (iNSC) for better compatibility of implanted cells. The treated mice showed no adverse side effects past six months after implantation into the **hippocampus** and **cortex** regions of the brain. The implanted neurons were fully integrated into the complex network of the brain. The research reported neurons exhibited normal activity and were connected to the original brain cells via newly formed **synapse.** The scientists at LBCS believe they are gaining a better insight of how to treat such cells in order to successfully replace damaged or dead tissue. The ultimate goal for this research is to have implanted neurons produce the lacking **dopamine** directly in the patient's brain and transport it to the appropriate sites, which would result in an actual cure. The first trials in mice are still in progress at LBCS, but have been successful over the first six month period. This is kind of a gray area for me, I believe we should let nature run its course and allow only the "strong" to survive.

References: Kathrin Hemmer, Mingyue Zhang, Thea van Wüllen, Marna Sakalem, Natalia Tapia, Aidos Baumuratov, Christian Kaltschmidt, Barbara Kaltschmidt, Hans R. Schöler, Weiqi Zhang, Jens C. Schwamborn. **Induced Neural Stem Cells Achieve Long-Term Survival and Functional Integration in the Adult Mouse Brain**. //Stem Cell Reports//, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.06.017

Université du Luxembourg. (2014, August 4). Implanted neurons become part of the brain, mouse study shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 6, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140804100115.htm

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