New hope for repairing diseased or damaged brains
November 25, 2011 by Amara D. Angelica
Two exciting landmark studies of ways to repair damaged or diseased brains have just been published, and are discussed on KurzweilAI today.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison study found that when neurons generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) were implanted into the hippocampus of a mouse, the neurons began to behave like normal rat neurons. That means that for humans in the future, there could be limitless supplies of healthy, specialized cells to replace diseased or damaged cells for brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
The Harvard-Massachusetts General-Beth Israel study addressed the same problem, but injected embryonic mouse (instead of human) neurons into the hypothalamus of mice unable to respond to leptin (a hormone that regulates metabolism and controls body weight). They found that the neuron transplants were able to repair defective hypothalamus brain circuits, enabling the mice to respond normally to leptin and thus experience substantially less weight gain.
These studies only address two (albeit important) brain areas, but the researchers are optimistic that these studies will lead to the ability to repair and grow diseased or damaged brain cells in higher-level conditions, such as spinal cord injury, autism, epilepsy, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.
Meanwhile, progress in another vital approach to repair damaged nerves — medical micropower network systems (which transmit movement commands from a sensor on a patient’s spinal cord via special processors to implants that electrically stimulate nerves) is hitting a possible roadblock: the FCC may deny access to four sets of frequencies between 413MHz and 457MHz (also used for TV and radio signals) due to concern that the broadcast signals might interfere with the body networks.
For some of the millions of people in the U.S. (and possibly some of the hundreds of millions in some other countries) affected by neurological disorders, live TV streaming via Google TV, Apple TV, Amazon Instant Video, and other digital alternatives to broadcasting may be looking like a good idea.
Comments (4)
by GHULAM RAZA
My daughter (age 11 years at that time) in year 2003, in road accident got right frontal lobe injured. After the injury, the doctor removed the damaged portion of brain. Resultantly, her left side paralyzed. I want to know that is there any possibility of repairing the damaged area of brain.
by jaknight89
My mom has Huntington’s Disease. I might have it. Science is cool.
by Giulio Prisco
Re the FCC. So now the networks and the big content lobby want to move beyond scamming both consumers and creators with overpriced and underpaid content (and suing them as criminals when they resist), and start denying us potentially life-saving and life-enhancing medical options. This justifies a large Occupy the Air Waves campaign. To start, we should really boycott all traditional broadcasting and move to digital alternatives. NOW.
by Khannea Suntzu
Some days I feel my brain is already Swiss cheese after a life of iniquity and vice. This research should hurry to become commercial – and bug free – and then dirt cheap. 20 years max, I need my immortality and neural upgrades and boosters.
The potential by then – 20 years – may be further enhanced by injecting not fresh creamy basal stemcells to trickle into my brain and become fresh mindmeat – no, I’ll be keen on somewhat tweaked and genetically polished up stem cells. Debugged so to speak.
The idea of perpetuating my precarious mind-flame onwards, beyond the muddy waters of my natural genome, claustrophobic culture, and stifling economical heritage is hope itself. What comes of what is now me is always better than to relinquish to people that care nothing for this I am and desire.
And I know many who read this will feel this resonate. The biggest lonesome is the uncaring eyes of those in their own universe. The biggest togetherness is the hope we can move beyond that and grow to care, as one, everlasting and forever happy and always with hope and faith.