Scientists Discover "Gorditas" and Other Novel Brain Cell Types

Amazing stuff! One would wish billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Elon Musk would invest more money in brain research instead of space race trips! There is still so much to discover regarding our brains!

"... The results suggest new roles for glial cells, best known for providing support to neurons, and could prompt a better understanding of how brains remain plastic into adulthood, when the vast majority of neurons no longer undergo cell division.... Most mammalian brain cells, be they neurons or glia, are generated during embryonic development, and reservoirs of stem cells become largely, if not entirely, dormant in adulthood. The small trickle of activity that is left can help the brain respond to change, sometimes by generating new neurons to help with learning or by producing cells in response to injury or disease.
One pool exists in the brains of adult humans and mice, in an area called the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ). The walls of the two lateral ventricles, cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid, are lined with stem cells, and along these walls, the cells have a regional identity—where a stem cell lies on the wall dictates what it differentiates into ..."

"Quiescent [dormant] neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mouse ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) undergo activation to generate neurons and some glia. Here we show that platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) is expressed by adult V-SVZ NSCs that generate olfactory bulb interneurons and glia. Selective deletion of PDGFRβ in adult V-SVZ NSCs leads to their release from quiescence, uncovering gliogenic domains for different glial cell types. These domains are also recruited upon injury. We identify an intraventricular oligodendrocyte progenitor derived from NSCs inside the brain ventricles that contacts supraependymal axons."

Scientists Discover "Gorditas" and Other Novel Brain Cell Types | The Scientist Magazine® A pool of neural stem cells that ordinarily lies dormant in the brains of adult mice spawns two types of never-before-documented glial cells when artificially reactivated, potentially pointing to a novel mechanism of brain plasticity.

Release of stem cells from quiescence reveals gliogenic domains in the adult mouse brain (no public access)