Study identifies molecular signal for maintaining adult neuron
Now, research led by a Johns Hopkins University biologist sheds light on the subject, potentially pointing the way to a better understanding of how the structure of nerve cells in the adult hippocampus may deteriorate, which can lead to Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. "It's literally a black box," said Rejji Kuruvilla, an associate professor in the Department of Biology who led the research team, referring to the biochemical signaling systems that support the neurons in the adult brain. "To get a handle on repairing the adult brain, you first need to know what those signals are." In a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Kuruvilla and eight other scientists from two research institutions report that a protein that has primarily been studied for its role in early animal development also plays a surprising role in maintaining the structure of hippocampal neurons in adult mice. Chih-Ming Chen, a...