New Stem Cell Technique for Alzheimer’s Brain Cells
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Investigators have managed to coax stem cells to transform into the very brain cells that are affected by Alzheimer's disease. This research is published in the March 4th issue of Stem Cells.
Here is some information about Alzheimer's disease:
• It is a neurological condition in which the ability to retrieve memories stored in the brain is impaired
• It can also affect decision-making, judgment, and personality
• It usually affects those over age 60
Stem cells are immature cells that have the potential to transform into any type of cell in the body, such as a skin cell, liver cell, or brain cell. Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago have developed a technique that transforms stem cells into a type of brain cell known as basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. These brain cells play an important role in retrieving memories stored in the brain, and they become decimated in those with Alzheimer's disease.
The investigators placed the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons that were developed into the brains of mice. Once inside the brain, these cells formed new connections with surrounding cells and began producing a substance known as acetylcholine, just like normal basal forebrain cholinergic neurons do. These findings demonstrate that the laboratory-derived basal forebrain cholinergic neurons function just like basal forebrain cholinergic neurons that grow naturally in the brain.
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