By introducing a calcium sensitive fluorescent
substance in the neural tissue, it becomes possible to trace the calcium influx in neurons and thus visualize neural activity.
Many edited proteins are
found in neural tissues, and these proteins are thought to act as a switch to regulate functions such as neural activity.
«Despite evidence that trace amounts of gadolinium are
depositing in neural tissues, there is currently no data to suggest that it's harmful to patients,» says Dr. Eckel.
Through this model, the research team was able to more precisely establish the repair mechanism by which stem cells
work in neural tissue regeneration and neuroprotection than was previously known.
Using fruit flies as our initial models, we are identifying which microRNAs are acting as genetic regulators of stress
responses in neural tissues.
Although researchers knew that hyaluronic acid shows up
in neural tissue, they did not know it played such a critical role in human brain development.