Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a novel pathway to wake up dormant neural stem cells, offering potential new therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. In the mammalian adult brain, most , which originate from the nervous system and can grow into various types of brain cells, stay dormant until they receive specific signals that activate them. Once woken up, they produce new neurons, aiding in brain repair and growth.
Defects in neural stem cell activation are associated with aging-related cognitive decline and such as microcephaly, a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected because its brain has not developed properly. Neurodevelopmental disorders affect around five percent of children and adolescents worldwide and lead to impaired cognition, communication, adaptive behavior and psychomotor skills. To study this activation, the scientists turned to Drosophila or fruit flies.
Similar to mammals, the neural stem cells of fruit flies stay dormant till they are awakened. Their findings, published in , showed that a type of glial cell named astrocytes—traditionally thought to provide structural and nutritional support—are important for waking up dormant neural stem cells in the brains of fruit flies. Using with 10-times magnifying power, the team of scientists examined the tiny fiber structur.