Pages

April 13, 2011

Schizophrenic Brain Cells Created in Lab

Schizophrenic Brain Cells Created in Lab - Yahoo! News

Skin cells taken from four individuals with schizophrenia have been turned into brain cells, or neurons, and grown in lab dishes, the first time a complex mental disorder has been examined using living brain cells.

The lab-grown neurons showed fewer connections between each other than was found in healthy brain cells, the researchers said.

The research not only will assist scientists in understanding the causes of a mental disease that plagues about 1 percent of the world's population (and about 3 million people in the United States), but also takes a step toward personalized medicine for those afflicted.

No comments:

Post a Comment