Scientists say they are one step closer to showing that their experimental hydrogel technology (better known as “brain glue”) can help people with traumatic brain injury. In a recent study, they found that their brain tail helped prevent long-term damage and tissue loss to the injured brain of rats, while speeding up the healing process.
They are very difficult to treat serious traumatic brain injuries, caused by life-threatening accidents or aggressions that can cause coma to people. Even in the best cases, people often have to go through a long recovery process, and them May experience lifelong complications. But they have been researchers from the University of Georgia, led by Lohitash Karumbaiah work in the development of new ways to repair this type of acutely damaged brains.
A promising approach developed by Karumbaiah and his team is his brain tail. Glue is actually made up of complex sugars, arranged in a particular way to look like sugars found naturally in the brain. Typically, these compounds bind to other proteins that together help protect and repair brain cells. By implanting glue into people’s brains shortly after injury, the hope is that it will increase our ability to heal naturally, preventing untreatable brain damage, and ensure better outcomes for patients.
The team’s previous research suggested that the tail appeared to function as intended in the short term in rats with severe brain injury, with documented benefits up to four weeks later. But this new study, published last month at Science Advances, he found it the benefits of treatment could also be seen 20 weeks after injury, compared to a control group of rats.
G / O Media may receive a commission
“Animal subjects who were implanted with brain glue actually showed repair of severely damaged brain tissue,” Karumbaiah told statement released by the university. “Animals also obtained a faster recovery time compared to subjects without these materials.”
Treated rats it seemed to improve cognitively. As part of the experiment, they were given an easy task of reaching and grasping an object, and the treatises performed better than the control group. The researchers also found evidence of improved healing in the regions of the brain that are known to be involved in this task, indicating that glue was responsible for better performance.
Rats and humans share many similar brain circuits, so it is very possible that this tail can help people with this type of injury. But more studies and clinical trials should be done in people before you start seeing this kind of technology widely used in hospitals. For this, Karumbaiah has done it he applied for a patent on glue glue and his team has secured funding to continue this research. If it’s worth it, it’s a kind of work that can not only help people with severe traumatic brain injuries, but also other neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.