Nitric Oxide Found to Be a Factor in Brain Development

Researchers have found that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical regulator of neurogenesis in the developing mammalian brain, a finding that may lead to a new therapeutic approach for replacing lost or injured neurons.

Investigators at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (NY, USA) worked with rodents to search for agents that controlled brain development. They established two model systems: in a pharmacological approach, they suppressed NO production in the rat brain by intraventricular infusion of an NO synthase inhibitor; and in a genetic approach, they generated a null mutant neuronal NO synthase knockout mouse line by targeting the exon encoding the active center of the enzyme.

In a paper published July 28, 2003, in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers reported that in both models the number of new cells generated in neurogenic areas of the adult brain, the olfactory subependyma, and the dentate gyrus, was strongly augmented. This indicates that division of neural stem cells in the adult brain is controlled by NO and suggests a strategy for enhancing neurogenesis in the adult central nervous system.

In conclusion, the authors wrote that their study, "Suggests that modulating nitric oxide levels might be an effective strategy for replacing neurons that are lost from the brain due to stroke or chronic neurodegenerative disorders.”




Related Links:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory