Study Reveals Mechanism That Repairs Brain After Stroke

According to a new study recently published in the journal, Science, a previously unknown mechanism through which the brain produces new nerve cells after a stroke has been discovered. Researchers at Lund University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have shown that following an induced stroke in mice, astrocytes start to form nerve cells in the injured part of the brain. Using genetic methods to map the fate of the cells, the scientists could demonstrate that astrocytes in this area formed immature nerve cells, which then developed into mature nerve cells. The new nerve cells were found to form specialized contacts with other cells. While it remains to be shown whether the nerve cells are functional and to what extent they contribute to the spontaneous recovery that is observed in a majority of experimental animals and patients after a stroke, the new study demonstrates for the first time that self-repair in the adult brain involves astrocytes entering a process by which they change their identity to nerve cells. To learn more about the study, click here.