Researchers discover damage to specific genes has the ability to alter hundreds more

Orange County, CA - March 9th 2017 - In the United States, 138 people die each day as a result of Traumatic brain injuries (TBI). These types of injuries account for more than 90% of the brain injuries that occur in USA and have the ability to cause permanent disability and even death if not heeded. In recent years, research has increased on the cognitive and neuropathological consequences of repeated head injury due to its prevalence in sports, military, and domestic environments. In hopes of realizing the consequences of TBI, researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) conducted a comprehensive systems biological study aimed towards understanding the impact of the injury on fundamental gene regulation mechanisms.

For the first time, researchers identified master genes in the brain, which are believed to control hundreds of other genes. If these acquire damage or undergo alteration, the side effects can be debilitating. TBI increases the chance of developing numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke, and various others.

To study TBI, the team trained 20 rats to escape from a maze, before using a fluid to produce a brain injury, similar to a concussion, in 10 of the rats. When attempting to complete the maze again, specimens with the forced brain injury took approximately 25% longer than non-injured rats. To learn how the genes had changed in the rats, researchers analyzed 5 subjects in each group by drawing RNA from the hippocampus, the area responsible for regulated learning and memory in the brain, and from leukocytes, white blood cells within the immune system.

Researchers discover damage to specific genes has the ability to alter hundreds more

Inspection of these areas determined that the injured mice sample sustained 268 modifications to genes in the hippocampus and 1,215 genes in the leukocytes.

Very little is known about how people with brain trauma, like football players and soldiers, develop neurological disorders later in life. We hope to learn much more about how this occurs,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a co-senior author of the study and UCLA professor of neurosurgery and integrative biology and physiology.

Almost 25 of the altered genes found in the rats were found in both the hippocampus and in the leukocytes. This comorbidity means there is a possibility of developing a gene-based blood test for the identification of a brain injury. Equivalents of the altered mouse genes are present in humans in the hundreds and are linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Measuring these genes could also help doctors predict the susceptibility of a patient developing neurological disorders as well as lead to more accurate diagnosis.

The team is now examining different master genes to establish if modifying them will have similar results to those tested in the initial study. If replicable, this information could aid in the development of new pharmaceuticals to treat brain diseases. Also plausible, is the potential for scientists to re-modify damaged genes and reduce the risk of developing brain disease later in life.

To read their study click here.

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Researchers discover damage to specific genes has the ability to alter hundreds more Orange County, CA – March 9th 2017 – In the United States, 138 people die each day as a result of Traumatic brain injuries (TBI). These types of injuries account for more than 90% of the brain injuries that occur in USA […]