Nerve Cell Regeneration

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Nerve Cell Regeneration
Heather Wilson and Alicia DiCola
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Nerve Cell

• The function of a neuron is to communicate
  information, which it does by two methods.
  Electric signals process and conduct information
  within a cell, while chemical signals transmit
  information between cells.
• Nerve cells control sensations in the body and
  other functions such as help to store memory in
  the brain.

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Degenerative DiseasesCause of Brain Damage

• A Degenerative disease is a disease in which the
  function or structure of the affected tissues or
  organs will progressively deteriorate over time,
  whether due to normal bodily wear or lifestyle
  choices such as exercise or eating habits.
• Nerve regeneration is being researched to help
  restore function to patients suffering from
  degenerative diseases.
• Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative and
  terminal disease The cause and progression of
  Alzheimer's disease is not well understood, but
  is associated with plaques and tangles in the
  brain 24 million people are afflicted with
  Alzheimers Disease
• Huntingtons disease is a rare genetic
  neurological disorder inherited by approximately
  3 to 7 per 100,000 people of Western European
  descent
• Parkinsons Disease is a result of the loss of
  dopamine-producing brain cells. The four primary
  symptoms of PD are tremor, or trembling in hands,
  arms, legs, jaw, and face rigidity, or stiffness
  of the limbs and trunk bradykinesia, or slowness
  of movement and postural instability, or
  impaired balance and coordination

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Alzheimers DiseaseBrain Degeneration
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Nerve Cells In The Brain
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Neural Tangles In The Brain
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What Is Nerve Regeneration?

• Renewal or physiological repair of damaged tissue
  in any part of the nervous system.
• Replacement of damaged cells and restoration of
  function can be accomplished by transplantation
  of cells derived from different sources, such as
  human foetal tissue, genetically modified cell
  lines, embryonic or somatic stem cells.
  Preclinical and clinical trials have shown
  promising results in neurodegenerative disorders,
  like Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, but
  also ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage,
  demyelinating disorders, epilepsy and traumatic
  lesions of the brain and spinal cord. Other
  studies have focused on finding new ways to
  activate and direct endogenous repair mechanisms
  in the CNS, eg, by exposure to specific neuronal
  growth factors or by inactivating inhibitory
  molecules.

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Regenerated Nerve Cells
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Types of Nerve Damage
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Types of Nerve Regeneration

• Microchip Implant
• Biodegradable Implant
• Stem Cell Cloning
• Gene Manipulation

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Possible Benefits of Nerve Regeneration

• Repaired ability to function
• Re-growth of healthy nerves
• Re-gain function neurologically in brain and
  body nerve cells
• Possible cure for many degenerative diseases such
  as Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and Alzheimers
  disease.
• Possible cure for spinal cord injuries and brain
  damage

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Nerve Regeneration is (going to be)Amazing!!!

• Regeneration is going to be the future of
  medicine, said Robert Peattie, an associate
  professor of chemical engineering at OSU. It may
  take 10 or 20 years to get there, but the
  ultimate goal is to help the body fix itself, and
  tissue growth is the first step in that process.

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Microchip Technique

• Western Canada Regeneration Initiative
• Already implanted tiny silicon rods into trauma
  patients called regeneration tubes to direct
  injured nerve cells to grow in the right
  directions
• By using electric currents emitted through
  microchips implanted in the regeneration tubes
  they hope to direct injured nerve cells to grow
  in the right directions and to speed up the
  regeneration
• Patients may one day be helped by new microchip
  technology that will allow doctors to repair and
  regenerate nerves that have been ravaged by
  injury or disease.

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Stem Cell Technique

• Clones of healthy human brain cells are being
  used in experiments to repair and re-create
  damaged nerve cells
• Transplanted these cells into mice and have shown
  that the implants replace missing or deficient
  brain cells.
• Besides replacing missing or faulty genes,
  stem-cell transplants might be used to boost the
  performance of genes needed to regrow nerves
  after injuries or replace cells due to diseases

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Biodegradable Implant Technique

• Research by Georgia Tech, Emory University, the
  National Science Foundation and the National
  Institute of Biomedical Imaging and
  Bioengineering
• Use a biodegradable polymer containing a chemical
  that mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to
  spur the growth of neurites, which form the
  connections between neurons.
• The polymers would guide the growth of the
  regenerating nerve.
• Ultimate goal is to create a conduit for nerve
  regeneration that guides the neurons to
  regenerate, but gradually degrades so that it
  wont constrict the nerves permanently

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Negative effects of nerve regeneration

• Pain
• Tangled neurons
• Appetite suppression
• Muscle aches
• Weight loss
• Increased pain perception
• High cost of procedure
• Risk of death or paralization etc.

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How does nerve regeneration relate to psychology?
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Is Nerve Regeneration Ethical?