Process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain identified

 

Conor O’Neil

Mr. Ippolito

 

           

Citation

University of Notre Dame. "Process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain identified." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 October 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201005122142.htm>. 

 

Review

 

            The article, "Process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain identified," from Sciencedaily.com, details an important breakthrough in the world of genetics and biology; a team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University and the University of Florida have identified the series of genes that controls the processes that determine an organism’s ability to regenerate neurons.  They discovered this through mapping the genes of the Zebrafish, an animal known to have the ability to regenerate neurons.  When a zebrafish’s retina is damaged, its Müller gila cells undergo reprogramming, where they change their gene expressions and become similar to cells used during an organism's early stages of development, called progenitor cells.  These cells have the ability to change into whatever cell is necessary to fix the damaged neurons.  Interestingly, humans have Müller gila cells as well, but they differ from the Múller gila cells of a zebrafish because when a human damages its retina, these cells go through a process called gliosis, which does not allow for reprogramming.  Once having determined the process for retina recovery, the researchers sought to find out if gliosis and reprogramming were in any way similar.  Upon looking into it, the researchers found out that during zebrafish regeneration, Müller glia cells go through gliosis as well, proving the point that organisms with the capability for neural regeneration follow a similar process to those who cannot regenerate.  From there, the researchers modified the zebrafish Müller glia cells into a state that blocked regeneration and also modified a mouse such that it could regenerate retinal neurons.  The scientists were able to make a breakthrough that could have extraordinary implications for the future of human neuroscience.

            The relevance of this discovery is fairly obvious, it is proof that it is possible to regenerate neurons, which if further researched, could mean the end of neurological diseases.  If scientists are able to modify genes in order to stimulate the regeneration of neurons in the eye and brain diseases like optic neuritis, ischemic optic neuropathy and primary glaucomatous optic nerve disease.  Moreover, while neural regeneration will not be able to cure these diseases, it can aid in treatment of Alzheimer’s Parkinson’s ALS and stroke victims.  Neurological diseases effect 25 million Americans and 1 billion people abroad, so if the researchers were to successfully develop a functional treatment for humans, there would be a massive, worldwide impact.  

            This article from University of Notre Dame researchers was incredibly interesting and insightful, it discusses a subject of great importance both straightforwardly and comprehensively. The structure of the article is highly logical, it starts by introducing the concept and then describes the steps taken by the research team in their discovery.  Furthermore, the article does a good job of giving the reader enough of a basic understanding of the concept so that the article is easy to read.  One of the article's few flaws was that it does not really dive into the means by which certain processes occur.  For example, the article says that human Müller glia cells do not go into reprogramming, but it does not say why it does not go into reprogramming.  If this information was to be added to the article, it would be even more compelling and insightful.  While not going into such great detail is somewhat understandable given the context of the article, it would nonetheless make it more interesting.  Overall, this article was an in-depth and interesting look into the future of neuroscience and treatments of neurological diseases.