There has been a development that will take medicine many steps forward in finding solutions to neurological diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Danish researchers broke new ground by keeping a small piece of the human brain alive for hours.
This study, which was not allowed to be done on humans before, showed very different and important results from animal experiments. Because, according to Emma Louise Louth, who led the research, when it comes to the human brain, the only subject that would offer a chance for an efficient experiment was the human brain.
Role of dopamine in neurological problems examined
In this groundbreaking study, a piece of the human brain was kept alive in a petri dish for the first time. A 1-centimeter piece taken from a patient’s cortex remained alive for exactly 12 hours thanks to the procedures performed. Conditions to keep the brain alive for hours were created by first cooling the tissue and then placing it in a mixture of components found in the cerebrospinal fluid. Thanks to the cooling, it was ensured that the tissue remained oxygenated and thus the cells remained alive.
Emma Louise Louth, who led the research, said in a statement about the allowed animal experiments after this success, “Working on a mouse is like looking at a Nokia 3310 while trying to fix an iPhone.” She added: “Human and mouse brains have the same basic functions. . However, there is much more complex structure in the human brain. There is great variation in cell types and certain receptors. Therefore, being able to test directly on human tissue is a unique opportunity. Continuing with his statements, Louth stated that the research focused on dopamine-enhanced connections between neurons in humans and mice, and that the reward transmitter strengthens the interneuron connections in our brains.
“We were given the opportunity to show that dopamine plays a different role in humans and mice. This is a really good example of how the effect of a drug or a neurotransmitter varies between species and highlights the importance of being able to test drugs directly on human tissue,” Louth continued. He emphasized the difference made by being able to work on his brain.
12972
