Human neural stem cells (green) guided by electrical stimulation migrated to and colonized the subventricular zone of rats’ brains. This image was taken three weeks after stimulation.JUNFENG FENG/UC DAVIS, SACRAMENTO AND REN JI HOSPITAL, SHANGHAINeural stem cells normally go with the flow of chemical guides. But with a little electrical stimulation they can be coaxed to go the other way, a new study shows.
When scientists applied electric current to human neural stem cells injected into rats’ brains, the cells moved toward the animals’ subventricular zone and lateral ventricle, instead of toward their olfactory bulb, the default destination. The result, published June 29 in Stem Cell Reports, suggests that electrical stimulation could one day be used to guide neural stem cells to damaged sites in the brain.
“This is the first study I’ve seen where stimulation is done with electrodes in the brain and has been convincing about changing the natural flow of cells so they move in the opposite direction,” stem cell expert Alan Trounson of the Hudson Institute in Australia tells The Scientist. “The technique has strong possibilities for applications because the team has shown you can ...
