Know how head injuries lead to serious brain diseases
In a recent study, biologists discovered how head injuries adversely affect individual cells and genes that can lead to serious brain disorders . The researchers at the University of California studied more than 6,000 cells in 15 hippocampal cell types -- the first study of individual cell types subject to brain trauma . Each cell has the same DNA, but which genes are activated varies among different cell types. Among the 15 cell types are two that were previously unknown, each with a unique set of active genes. The life scientists provide the first cell 'atlas' of the hippocampus -- the part of the brain that helps regulate learning and memory -- when it is affected by traumatic brain injury . The team also proposed gene candidates for treating brain diseases associated with traumatic brain injuries, such as Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. "Every cell type is different," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, co-senior author of the