Neural stem cells could help restore memory after brain damage, according
to researchers at the University of California at
Irvine. In a study, the results
of which appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, mice with
brain injuries experienced enhanced memory - similar to the level found in
healthy mice - up to three months after receiving stem cell
treatment.

Scientists behind
the study say the stem cells secreted proteins called neurotrophins that
protected vulnerable cells from death and rescued
memory.

This raises the hope
that a drug to boost production of these proteins could be developed to restore
the ability to remember in humans suffering neuronal
loss.

"Our research provides
clear evidence that stem cells can reverse memory loss," said Frank LaFerla,
professor of neurobiology and behaviour at
UCI.

"This gives us hope that
stem cells someday could help restore brain function in humans suffering from a
wide range of diseases and injuries that impair memory
formation."

Via Times of India