Bioelectricity Plays Key Role in Brain Development and Repair

A discovery from Tufts University may allow healthy brain tissue to develop under abnormal conditions using bioelectrical signals in order to manipulate the brain development process. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, describes how the brain-development process in Xenopus laevis embryos, successful changes the development process by changing voltage differences across cell membranes. This reveals a new relationship between development conditions and brain formation, which may have immediate utilitarian value. “This latest research also demonstrated molecular techniques for ‘hijacking’ this bioelectric communication to force the body to make new brain tissue at other locations and to fix genetic defects that cause brain malformation,” says the author. “This means we may be able to induce growth of new brain tissue to address birth defects or brain injury, which is very exciting for regenerative medicine.” Future research will attempt manipulation of full brain matter in order to study how this process can be applied, particularly in regards to brain-matter regeneration following injuries and to proactively repair defects. To learn more about this study, click here.