據(jù)2月26日的《科學(xué)》雜志報(bào)道說，將胚胎神經(jīng)元移植到幼年小鼠的腦中可導(dǎo)致一個(gè)新的“關(guān)鍵期”的開始,，在此關(guān)鍵期中,，腦子重新恢復(fù)了其對傳入的感覺性資訊的變化進(jìn)行調(diào)節(jié)的不同尋常的能力。 被人最深入研究的腦的可塑性的形式之一是視覺系統(tǒng),。 在出生之后不久的一個(gè)特別的時(shí)期內(nèi),，如果某只眼睛被一直捂蓋著的話，腦的視覺皮層能夠進(jìn)行重新連接,。那些從前專門負(fù)責(zé)接受來自被捂蓋眼睛的信息的神經(jīng)元將會改由那只有功用的眼睛來控制,。
Derek Southwell及其同僚將未充分發(fā)育的神經(jīng)元（來自出生前不久的神經(jīng)元）植入到年齡略大的新生小鼠的腦中。 隨著該小鼠的發(fā)育,，它們的視覺皮層經(jīng)歷了正常的關(guān)鍵期,。 然而，那些移植的細(xì)胞接著在某一較后的時(shí)間開始了一個(gè)新的關(guān)鍵期，且該關(guān)鍵期與植入的年齡不一致的神經(jīng)元的關(guān)鍵期相一致,。 這些植入的神經(jīng)元是抑制性的神經(jīng)元,，這意味著它們會抑制有關(guān)的信號，而非放大這些信號,。 研究人員提出,，抑制性神經(jīng)元的植入也許可為人們提供一種修復(fù)受損腦回路的方法。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Science 26 February 2010: DOI: 10.1126/science.1183962
Cortical Plasticity Induced by Inhibitory Neuron Transplantation
Derek G. Southwell,1 Robert C. Froemke,2 Arturo Alvarez-Buylla,1,* Michael P. Stryker,3,* Sunil P. Gandhi3,*
Critical periods are times of pronounced brain plasticity. During a critical period in the postnatal development of the visual cortex, the occlusion of one eye triggers a rapid reorganization of neuronal responses, a process known as ocular dominance plasticity. We have shown that the transplantation of inhibitory neurons induces ocular dominance plasticity after the critical period. Transplanted inhibitory neurons receive excitatory synapses, make inhibitory synapses onto host cortical neurons, and promote plasticity when they reach a cellular age equivalent to that of endogenous inhibitory neurons during the normal critical period. These findings suggest that ocular dominance plasticity is regulated by the execution of a maturational program intrinsic to inhibitory neurons. By inducing plasticity, inhibitory neuron transplantation may facilitate brain repair.
1 Department of Neurological Surgery and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
2 Department of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
3 Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
