Research Reveals an Active Brain Protects Against Neurological Injury

Apr 26, 2011

Peppy Nerve Cells (© picture-alliance/dpa)

Scientists at the University of Heidelberg have found a gene that protects against the consequences of a stroke. The discovery published in "The Journal of Neuroscience" is likely to have effects on therapies in the treatment of stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Under the direction of Hilmar Bading, researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) found that increased production of the gene made nerve cells more resilient.

"We obtained the first indications of a possible protective function of this gene in experiments on so-called nerve cell cultures with which one can simulate the conditions to which the brain is exposed to in a stroke," said Bading.

"We were then able to show in a mouse model that the brain damage caused by insufficient blood supply during a stroke can actually be reduced by this protective element," he added.

Oxygen deficiency and high levels of neurotransmitters lead to extensive cell death in the brain in the case of a stroke or brain injury. Neurological cells which were fitted with the newly discovered gene by gene transfer were more likely to survive under these toxic conditions.

The special property of the newly discovered gene, which is actually part of the body's own protective system, is that it is turned on by nerve cells when they are active. This means that an active brain actually has its own kind of protective shield.

(© Universität Heidelberg )

Potential therapies

The Heidelberg researchers surmise that the gene not only protects against the consequences of a stroke, but actually makes the cells themselves more resilient. It could also be used against the death of nerve cells caused by the aging process or in therapies against neurodegenerative illnesses.

The actual mechanism by which the gene protects the cells from dying is not yet known. The results show, however, that the protection blocks certain suicide-like genes.

According to Bading, the fact that the body can actually turn this gene on itself, and thus be able to enact this protective function means that: "One should not only go to the fitness studio to keep healthy, but also keep one's mind mentally fit, because an active brain is better protected."

In addition to the discovery's impact on potential therapies for neurodegenerative illnesses, the finding also emphasizes the importance of intellectual activity for physical health.

© Young Germany

Source : germany.info