Scientists claim to have carried out a pioneering stem cell transplant that rebuilt brain circuitry in mice, an achievement which could pave the way for a new and effective treatment for conditions from Parkinson’s to autism.
In their experiment, an international team, led by Harvard University, put healthy stem cells from mouse embryos into the brains of adult laboratory rodents who were unable to use leptin, a hormone that tells the body to stop eating. The transplant worked to the extent that the creatures were able to process leptin again — and duly lost weight.
The researchers said they studied obesity only because it would be obvious whether the experiment had worked. Their true target in treating a critical region of the brain was complex conditions such as Parkinson’s, autism, epilepsy, motor neuron disease and spinal cord injuries.
The “blank” stem cells turned into four types of neuron, or brain cell, and connected up with existing cells, say the scientists whose findings have been published in Science journal.