Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Protein Acts as Miracle-Gro for Neurons, Slows Brain Disease
Uncategorized

Protein Acts as Miracle-Gro for Neurons, Slows Brain Disease

By medwebOct 18, 2011
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

Protein Acts as Miracle-Gro for Neurons, Slows Brain Disease

A protein that promotes the growth of neurons and blood vessels appears to stop the progression of a genetic disease that causes degeneration of the cerebellum, according to new preclinical Northwestern Medicine research published in Nature Medicine.

The disease, spinocerebella ataxia type 1, typically strikes people in the 30s and 40s and causes degeneration of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that helps coordinate movement. As the disease progresses over 10 to 20 years, patients eventually die from aspiration or infectious pneumonia.

The disease is caused by a mutation in a protein called ataxin-1, which plays a role in regulating a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF. When Northwestern scientists replenished VEGF in the brains of a mouse model of this disease, their brains – which had showed atrophy in the cerebellum — began to appear more normal, with an increase in connections between neurons. The mice also had improved balance.

“If you give VEGF early in the disease, you prevent degeneration later in life,” said Puneet Opal, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology and of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who also treats ataxic patients. “We think VEGF increases the blood vessels in the brain, but also directly prevents neurons from dying in this disease. These results hold the potential for future therapy.”

The study also provides a new understanding of the degenerative disease. Because patients are born with the mutation for the disease but don’t show signs of it until midlife, Opal said that indicates the aging process appears to play a role in development of the disease.

“There could be a connection between a patient’s genetic mutation and their blood vessels not keeping up as they age,” Opal said. “When we delivered VEGF to the brain and increased blood vessels, the disease stopped progressing in mice.”

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Ataxia Foundation, and the Brain Research Foundation. Other authors include Marija Cvetanovic, PhD, and Jay M. Patel, also from Northwestern; and Ameet R. Kini and Hugo Marti from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and the University of Heidelberg, respectively.

Members of the media, please contact Marla Paul via e-mail or at (312) 503-8928 for more information about this story.

Education
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Honoring the PA Class of 2022

Jun 1, 2022

Celebrating Honors Day 2022

May 23, 2022

Taking a Second Look at Feinberg

Apr 21, 2022

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022

Expanded Role for Calcium Channels in T-Cells

Jun 17, 2022
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0070
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0066
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0054
Northwestern University 2022. Photo by Jim Prisching
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0077
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0063
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0111
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0083
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0018
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0023
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0072 (2)
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0120

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2022 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.