In recent years, researchers have made measurable progress, using animal models, to promote tissue regeneration in spinal cord injuries (SCI) through implanted neural stem cells or grafts. Other efforts have shown that intensive physical rehabilitation can improve function after SCI by promoting greater or new roles for undamaged or spared cells and neural circuits.
By using stem cells to grow miniature brain-like organs in the lab, scientists have opened a new avenue for studies of neurological development, disease and therapies that can't be conducted in living people.
A new University of California, Irvine-led study reveals how mechanical forces and tissue mechanics influence the morphology of the developing brain, and establishes a direct link in neural stem cells between Piezo1, a mechanically-activated ion channel, and intracellular cholesterol levels during neural development.
The axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum is a popular pet due to its unique and cute appearance. Unlike other salamanders undergoing metamorphosis, axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) never outgrow their larval, juvenile stage, a phenomenon called neoteny.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that increasing the production of new neurons in mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD) rescues the animals' memory defects.