SCI adv: new research helps to treat nervous system diseases

February 2, 2020 news / Biogen / -- according to a recent article published in science advance, the results may help to develop new therapies for some nervous system diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injury Jason plemel, a researcher from the University of Alberta, and others found that immune cells (called microglia) in our brain and central nervous system interact with macrophages in the blood This finding suggests that immune cells in our brain and central nervous system are blocking the movement of blood immune cells "We think macrophages will appear in the damaged area, but to our surprise, microglia will wrap these macrophages, just like the police in the event of a riot Microglia seem to prevent the excessive proliferation of macrophages Plemel said "We are not sure what the mechanism is, and more research may be needed to answer this question." The central nervous system contains white matter and gray matter components White matter consists of myelin covered nerve fibers, which speed up the signal transmission between cells and enable the brain to send and receive information quickly In various nervous system diseases, there are symptoms of myelin damage which leads to nerve deterioration "We found that in the early stage after demyelination, microglia and macrophages protecting the central nervous system existed in local tissues, and microglia would accumulate continuously "When we remove microglia, macrophages enter uninjured tissue at will," the authors explain "This suggests that microglia can interfere with macrophages in our central nervous system and prevent them from moving when injury occurs We will continue to study these cell types, and hope that we can know in time the uniqueness of their functions and the underlying causes, and ultimately contribute to the treatment of the disease " Unexpected emergency response in brain, strategic core could offer clubs to treating neurological diseases original source: Jason R plemel et al Microglia response following acute deactivation is heterogeneous and limits infiltering macrophase separation, science advances (2020) Doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aay6324