New publications, experiments and breakthroughs in biotechnology--and what they mean.
Growing Brain Cells
Drugs that trigger the birth of
neurons could provide the next generation of treatments for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's
SOURCE: "Dopamine D3 Receptor Agonist Delivery to a Model of Parkinson's Disease Restores the
Nigrostriatal Pathway and Improves Locomotor Behavior"
J. M. Van Kampenand C. B. Eckman
Journal of Neuroscience 26(27): 7272-7280
Results: Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, found that a drug similar to ones used to treat Parkinson's disease can spur growth of new neurons in the substantia nigra, the brain area damaged in the disease. In a study of rodents genetically engineered to model Parkinson's disease, twice as much neurogenesis, or birth of new neurons, was seen in animals treated with the drug as in control animals. Many of the newly generated cells appeared to develop into dopamine-producing neurons--the kind that are lost in Parkinson's. In addition, treated animals showed an 80 percent improvement in motor ability.
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