Could your brain repair itself? - Ralitsa Petrova
-
0:07 - 0:09Imagine the brain could reboot,
-
0:09 - 0:14updating its withered and damaged cells
with new, improved units. -
0:14 - 0:17That may sound like science fiction,
-
0:17 - 0:21but it's a potential reality
scientists are investigating right now. -
0:21 - 0:25Will our brains one day
be able to self-repair? -
0:25 - 0:28It's well known that embryonic cells
in our young developing brains -
0:28 - 0:30produce new neurons,
-
0:30 - 0:34the microscopic units
that make up the brain's tissue. -
0:34 - 0:39Those newly generated neurons migrate
to various parts of the developing brain, -
0:39 - 0:43making it self-organize
into different structures. -
0:43 - 0:44But until recently,
-
0:44 - 0:50scientists thought cell production came to
an abrupt halt soon after this initial growth, -
0:50 - 0:53leading them to conclude
that neurological diseases, -
0:53 - 0:55like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's,
-
0:55 - 1:00and damaging events, like strokes,
are irreversible. -
1:00 - 1:02But a series of recent discoveries
-
1:02 - 1:07has revealed that adult brains
actually do continue to produce new cells -
1:07 - 1:09in at least three specialized locations.
-
1:09 - 1:12This process, known as neurogenesis,
-
1:12 - 1:16involves dedicated brain cells,
called neural stem cells -
1:16 - 1:18and progenitor cells,
-
1:18 - 1:22which manufacture new neurons
or replace the old ones. -
1:22 - 1:25The three regions where neurogenesis
has been discovered -
1:25 - 1:29are the dentate gyrus,
associated with learning and memory, -
1:29 - 1:34the subventricular zone, which may
supply neurons to the olfactory bulb -
1:34 - 1:37for communication
between the nose and brain, -
1:37 - 1:40and the striatum,
which helps manage movement. -
1:40 - 1:44Scientists don't yet have a good grasp
on exactly what role -
1:44 - 1:48neurogenesis plays
in any of these regions, -
1:48 - 1:52or why they have this ability
that's absent from the rest of the brain, -
1:52 - 1:57but the mere presence of a mechanism
to grown new neurons in the adult brain -
1:57 - 2:00opens up an amazing possibility.
-
2:00 - 2:05Could we harness that mechanism
to get the brain to heal its scars -
2:05 - 2:08similar to how new skin
grows to patch up a wound, -
2:08 - 2:12or a broken bone
stitches itself back together? -
2:12 - 2:14So here's where we stand.
-
2:14 - 2:18Certain proteins and other small molecules
that mimick those proteins -
2:18 - 2:20can be administered to the brain
-
2:20 - 2:23to make neural stem cells
and progenitor cells -
2:23 - 2:27produce more neurons
in those three locations. -
2:27 - 2:29This technique still needs improvement
-
2:29 - 2:31so that the cells
reproduce more efficiently -
2:31 - 2:33and more cells survive.
-
2:33 - 2:36But research shows that progenitor cells
from these areas -
2:36 - 2:40can actually migrate to places where
injury has occurred -
2:40 - 2:43and give rise to new neurons there.
-
2:43 - 2:45And another promising possible approach
-
2:45 - 2:48is to transplant healthy
human neural stem cells, -
2:48 - 2:52which are cultured in a laboratory,
to injured tissue, -
2:52 - 2:54like we can do with skin.
-
2:54 - 2:56Scientists are currently experimenting
-
2:56 - 3:01to determine whether transplanted
donor cells can divide, differentiate -
3:01 - 3:06and successfully give rise
to new neurons in a damaged brain. -
3:06 - 3:07They've also discovered
-
3:07 - 3:10that we might be able to teach
other kinds of brain cells, -
3:10 - 3:14such as astrocytes
or oligodendrocytes -
3:14 - 3:19to behave like neural stem cells
and start generating neurons, too. -
3:19 - 3:23So, a couple of decades from now
will our brains be able to self-repair? -
3:23 - 3:25We can't say for sure,
-
3:25 - 3:29but that has become one of the major
goals of regenerative medicine. -
3:29 - 3:32The human brain has 100 billion neurons
-
3:32 - 3:38and we're still figuring out the wiring
behind this huge biological motherboard. -
3:38 - 3:44But everyday, research on neurogenesis
brings us closer to that reboot switch.
- Title:
- Could your brain repair itself? - Ralitsa Petrova
- Speaker:
- Ralitsa Petrova
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/could-your-brain-repair-itself-ralitsa-petrova
Imagine the brain could reboot, updating its damaged cells with new, improved units. That may sound like science fiction — but it’s a potential reality scientists are investigating right now. Ralitsa Petrova details the science behind neurogenesis and explains how we might harness it to reverse diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Lesson by Ralitsa Petrova, animation by Artrake Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:00
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? | ||
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Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? | ||
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Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for Could your brain repair itself? |