Rewiring the Brain With Stem Cells

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01/22/2010

Jan. 22, 2010

Rewiring the Brain With Stem Cells

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New research finds that in mice, transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells can form proper connections with other brain parts. Writing in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers described an experiment in which they successfully grew neurons from stem cells in Petri dishes, then transplanted those neurons into the brains of young mice. James Weimann, one of the authors of the study, said that the work was a hopeful sign for stem cell based treatments on the horizon. "These stem cell-derived neurons can grow nerve fibers between the brain’s cerebral cortex and the spinal cord, so this study confirms the use of stem cells for therapeutic goals," he said. However, the researchers cautioned that this work was so far only performed in young mice, and it remained to be seen whether the approach would work in older mice or in other animals. We'll talk with Weimann about the project.

Produced by Christopher Intagliata, Associate Senior Producer

Guests

James Weimann
Senior Research Scientist

Department of Neurology

Stanford Medical School

Stanford, California

Jan. 22, 2010