Whenever there is an injury or infection caused in the brain, then a brain cell performs a crucial role that surrounds the affected area that acts as a defensive wall. These cells are known as glial cells and their only work is to preserve the brain-sensitive nerve cells which are responsible to prevent excessive damage. When there is excess damage then there are chances that people may suffer from the long-term disease. A team of researchers did a very deep study and demonstrated the most important role played by the reorganization of the structural and membrane elements present in the glial cells. The glial cells have a lot of different functions and processes. Astrocytes, the most common type of glial cell found in the central nervous system, play a key role in the protection of surrounding tissues. They form part of a defense mechanism known as 'reactive astrogliosis', which facilitates scar formation, thereby helping to contain inflammation and control tissue damage. Astrocytes can also ensure the survival of nerve cells located immediately adjacent to a site of tissue injury, thereby preserving the function of neuronal networks. The researchers were able to elucidate a new mechanism that explains what processes happen inside the astrocytes and how these are coordinated.
The finding was published online and it has been published in Nature communications and it shed light on a new neuroprotective mechanism that is used by the brain to actively control damage following neurological injury or disease. The neurological injury is painful and if not treated well can result in a huge loss and lifelong diseases.
The nervous system cannot perform a process of regeneration and degenerative nerve cells and is therefore particularly vulnerable to injury. Injury can be of various forms, might be a stroke, seizure, coma, or another long-lasting injury. To heal such injuries, various cells have to work together in a coordinated way. These cells follow the procedure under a certain loop to limit and stop damage and thus, enable recovery.
