Belfast brain research could boost treatment of depression
A research breakthrough involving academics in Belfast could lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments for people with depression.
Scientists have identified a specific protein which they say plays a crucial role in the generation of brain neurons.
Queen’s University academic Dr Vijay Tiwari said the disruption of the protein can lead to intellectual disability.
“Our study reveals the key role this protein plays during the birth of probably one of the most important cells in our body — the neuron,” he said.
“We hope this discovery will pave the way for earlier diagnosis, earlier interventions and better treatment for people with a brain disorder, such as depression,” Dr Tiwari, a reader at the Wellcome-wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, added.
A team led by Queen’s in collaboration with the Centre for Regenerative Therapies Dresden in Germany, has discovered how the specific protein plays a crucial role in the generation of neurons at a specific time and location during brain development.
The findings were published yesterday in the Genes & Development journal.
It is expected this breakthrough will have a major impact on the fundamental understanding of brain development and lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments for people with certain brain disorders, the research authors said.
Brain development is a complex process that involves generating various types of cells at defined time points and locations during embryonic development. Any interference during these processes causes diseases.
Neurons are the working unit of the brain, designed to transmit information to other nerve cells and various tissues in the body, such as the muscles, as well as storage of memory.
While the field has rapidly advanced, the mechanisms creating the birth of neurons from their mother cells — called neural stem cells — has not historically been well understood.