Your Brain May Have a Hidden Ability to Repair Itself

On The Mend: We hear a lot about aging and cognitive decline, but here’s a bit of good news about our brains: They may be able to repair themselves better than scientists initially expected through specialized cells that can help areas of the brain damaged by injury or disease. 

The Study: Astrocytes are a type of brain glial cell that keep brain tissue healthy, control blood flow, and provide nutrients to nerve cells. It was long-believed that once astrocytes were destroyed, they were gone for good. But researchers at the University of Zurich have identified a special group of regenerative astrocytes, which suggests this might not be the case. Using photon microscopy, they studied the brains of living mice and tracked which genes and signaling pathways became active during the repair process. The special astrocytes helped to rebuild damaged cellular networks by creating new nuclei and then helping to transport them to damaged areas. 

The Takeaway: The research has the potential to evolve and offer more targeted ways to repair damaged brain cells if scientists can determine how to activate these particular genes and pathways.

Keep in Mind: This study was done on the brains of mice, not humans.