Researchers show how glial cells can give mice a boost.
By Colin Lecher Posted 03.08.2013 at 12:45 pm 20 Comments

Mouse
Wild Lab Mouse Tambako the Jaguar

When you think of a brain, you might imagine a flashing chain of neurons beaming messages to one another. But a new paper suggests that's not the whole story, and they found this out by PUTTING HUMAN BRAIN CELLS IN MICE AND MAKING THEM SMARTER.

The non-neural brain cells they used are known as "glia"--like the "glue" of the system, although they're also neural protectors and janitors--and they've been seen for awhile as supporting actors in the brain game. But the scientists involved in the experiment wanted to test for their importance to information processing. So, the team of researchers led by Steven Goldman and neurobiologist Maiken Nedergaard got to work.

Human Astrocytes In Mice
Human Astrocytes In A Mouse: The yellow-green areas are human astrocytes and the blue spots are mouse cell nuclei.  X. Han et al/Cell Stem Cell 2013 via ScienceNews

The researchers first implanted glial progenitor cells into newborn mice. Those cells make different types of glia, including astrocytes, which in humans are much larger and more complex than in other animals (neurons, by contrast, are pretty much the same between species). That might mean astrocytes are what separates human brain-power from, say, mouse brain-power.

The results suggest that theory could be right. After about 6 months, the human progenitor cells mostly replaced the mouse's progenitor cells and the human astrocytes mostly took over, too. The mice that got the blast of brain cells formed stronger synapses and performed better on tasks like learning maze routes than a control group of mice that got a shot of mouse progenitor cells (proving it wasn't just more brain cells that did the trick but more human brain cells).

Hopefully the mice don't become so smart that they figure out what's making them smarter.

[ScienceNews]

20 Comments

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AnyIcon
03/08/13 at 12:56 pm

These is really drive up the cost of a quality mouse trap!
Sheesh!

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dorin
03/08/13 at 1:01 pm

i would like to hear more on this experiment in the future.

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rettaH_daM
03/08/13 at 1:08 pm

Pinky: "Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"
The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!"

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Hooger
03/08/13 at 1:28 pm

Immediately was reminded of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.

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ibizanhound
03/08/13 at 2:48 pm

Rise of the Planet of the Mice

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AnyIcon
03/08/13 at 3:12 pm

I wish the breed a mouse with BLUE eyes. Now
that would be nice. ;)

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johnt007871
03/08/13 at 3:25 pm

Was one named Algernon?

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Random 24
03/08/13 at 3:48 pm

Their already hard enough to catch and dispose of why did they have to make a smarter breed? :(

Have fun, Have Nukes!

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killerT
03/08/13 at 3:59 pm

This is how the Alien will eventually come into existence.

"They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls. Let's book! "

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MakeNShakeNBake
03/08/13 at 4:18 pm

This reminds me of that old animation movie "The Secret of Nihm" All it took was an injection...

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ms_science
03/08/13 at 5:35 pm

FYI to the photog, that's a RAT!!!! =p

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gizmowiz
03/08/13 at 5:46 pm

One thing we don't need are smarter mice?

Willard rats were bad enough now some idiots want to make Willard mice?

I don't think the Pied Piper is going to be effective with smart Mice. Or Rats.

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rlb2
03/08/13 at 7:05 pm

I see a movie in this called "Planet of the Rats.

Ron Bennett

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berk99
03/08/13 at 7:42 pm

Great, by next year they'll have the bomb.

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MrTrav231
03/08/13 at 8:44 pm

This is what funding for research is being spent on? Sounds like the biggest misdirection in history. Der, lets just shoot these here mice up with some human brain cells? Maybe im wrong, but this seems like caveman science.

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FotoBum
03/09/13 at 2:21 am

Great idea... what could possibly go wrong?
Uummm... until PETA decides to break in & release them into the wild. :)

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AGReilly
03/09/13 at 8:11 am

Don't panic. They didn't change the mice's genes, so the offspring of these mice will be ordinary mice.

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AnyIcon
03/09/13 at 9:12 am

Why stop at this mouse, let’s put some brain cells in Obama!
Perhaps then we might actually get some intelligent results!
Currently with his mouse spine, he only wants to make political solutions for his career and party, not the whole of USA and ALL our problems.

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killerT
03/09/13 at 12:45 pm

Mice, Rats. The real question is how is it in a burger?

"Esta carne es de rata."

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roymgqwv
03/13/13 at 12:03 pm

til I looked at the check ov $6979, I have faith ...that...my neighbours mother was like they say really taking home money in their spare time at there labtop.. there brothers friend has done this for less than thirteen months and by now repayed the depts on there appartment and bourt a top of the range Dodge. go to, http://www.jump14.com



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