By IANS
New York : Neural stem cells could help restore memory after brain damage, according to researchers at the University of California at Irvine.
In a study, the results of which appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, mice with brain injuries experienced enhanced memory – similar to the level found in healthy mice – up to three months after receiving stem cell treatment.
Scientists behind the study say the stem cells secreted proteins called neurotrophins that protected vulnerable cells from death and rescued memory.
This raises the hope that a drug to boost production of these proteins could be developed to restore the ability to remember in humans suffering neuronal loss.
“Our research provides clear evidence that stem cells can reverse memory loss,” said Frank LaFerla, professor of neurobiology and behaviour at UCI.
“This gives us hope that stem cells someday could help restore brain function in humans suffering from a wide range of diseases and injuries that impair memory formation.”