Brain damage sucks.
Yeah, breaking an arm or a leg can make life difficult. It means having someone carry your books, open doors for you, hold up your pipe while you take a drag. It’s a toughie.
But the reason injuries to the brain are such a big deal is because, unlike your bones, your brain cells don’t grow back. Once they’re shot, they’re shot.
Dr. Brian Appel is working to help change that.
Appel and his colleagues were awarded $316,508 to study how the nervous system is formed and what mechanisms shape it.
But how does understanding the beginnings of the brain help with fixing it when it’s damaged?
“The idea is that if we understand it, we’ll understand how to simulate repair and regrowth after injury,” said Appel.
It’s like knowing how to build a car. If you know how to put one together, you know how to fix it when it breaks down.
And instead of meddling in human brains, Appel and friends are working with zebrafish.
Even though the science isn’t quite there yet, treatments won’t be finished overnight.
“All of it will take a long time to play out to create really effective therapies,” said Appel.
Be the first to comment on this article!