Young Blood Injections Could Rejuvenate Old Brain

News Health Articles - Young Blood Injections Could Rejuvenate Old Brain. In horror myths, many found the story of a witch who drank the blood of virgin or virgin to maintain youthful. Although it sounds absurd, it's apparently true. Young blood to the brain drain that parents could actually trigger the growth of new brain cells.

The study, published in the journal Nature is inspired from the observation that when old mice were given blood of young mice, the immune system and improved muscle function. So researchers wondered if the same thing will also work on his brain.



Researchers know that stem cells in the brain that gave birth to new neurons located closer to blood vessels than other cells. That is, there is the possibility of interaction with blood cells.

Researchers found that aged rats when young blood injected into older mice there is a development of new brain cells in older mice, ie, from no to 400 new cells to be nearly 1,000 new cells in one region of the hippocampus, a brain region important for the function the memory.

But when the researchers injected the blood of young mice with old mice, they found that the formation of new brain cells (neurogenesis), ability to learn, and remember to decline. So also with the injection of blood at the same age mice had no effect on brain development.

It seems there is something different from this young blood. The researchers looked for factors that are important. They studied 66 plasma proteins, but could not find the relevant compounds in the blood of young mice.

In the blood, there is a substance called or the chemokine CCL11, immune system proteins. Previous studies have linked CCL11 with inflammation in asthma and allergies, but nothing to do with brain function. Surprisingly, recent studies show that immune cells are involved in learning and memory function.

As reported by Time Healthland, Tuesday (12/27/2011), when the researchers injected CCL11 alone to young animals, this protein reduces neurogenesis. Conversely, blocking CCL11 with an antibody to prevent this decline.

The researchers, led by Tony Wyss-Coray of Stanford University also is looking for young blood in the compound can stimulate neurogenesis.

The fact that these cells respond to blood young parents well is an encouraging sign that the compound was there and showed that old cells may still be repaired.