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Spawning Nerves
15 January 2012

Spawning Nerves

The neurons [brain cells] in this image – in its entirety as wide as a human hair – were grown from stem cells which, when given the right signals, can become any sort of body cell. Neurons have a nucleus (here coloured blue) and a long tail – an axon (red), commonly known as a nerve. A protein known as 4R tau is highlighted in the axons with a green stain. Normally, neurons grown from stem cells have only a small amount of 4R tau protein, but scientists genetically modified these cells to produce much more. An imbalance in the amount of 4R tau relative to other proteins has been found in the brains of people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Looking at genetically modified neurons in the lab could yield clues about the relevance of 4R tau imbalance for degenerative brain disease.

Written by Alice Lighton

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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