Researchers at Karolinska Institute have made significant progress in the search for new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. By manipulating the gene expression of non-neuronal cells in the brain, they were able to produce new dopamine neurons. The study, performed on mice and human cells, is published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Biotechnology.
Production of dopamine neurons:
By reprogramming cells in the brain scientists were able to revert motor symptoms in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease and reproduce the cellular function and responses in human brain cells in the laboratory. This could be implemented in the conversion of brain cells into a subset of nerve cells called dopamine neurons.
In people with Parkinson’s disease, dopamine neurons degenerate and die. The research team showed that they can convert non-neuronal glial cells in the brains of mice into new dopamine neurons creating new neurons. The glial cells used here are called as astrocytes, named for their star-shape, which are abundant in brains of mice and humans. Using a variety of transcription factors, altering the gene expression- the changed ASTROCYTES->DOPAMINE NEURONS. This resulted in marked reduction in the symptoms of the disease.
The team also performed experiments on human astrocytes in the lab which they were able to convert into functional dopamine neurons, revealing the possibility for treating Parkinsonism.