Q:What is the difference between brain neurons and "normal" neurons?
Answers
Answer:
Using human brain tumor samples, scientists have discovered that normal patterns of nerve cell firing may enhance the growth of cancer cells. They also found that, neuroligin-3 (NLGN3), a gene known to be important for brain cell communication, may influence tumor growth and patient survival, making it a potential new target for therapy. The study, published in Cell, was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“We found that tumors may hijack the brain’s regular firing patterns used daily for thinking, feeling and moving,” said Michelle Monje, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, and the senior author of the study. “It’s a striking example of an organ’s core function fueling the cancer arising within it.”
In this study, Dr. Monje’s team studied a variety of high-grade gliomas, the most lethal forms of brain cancer. They found that secretion of neuroligin-3, a protein known to physically connect nerve cells at communication points, or synapses, may be a critical step linking neuronal firing to the growth of many high-grade gliomas. Supporting evidence also suggested that patients whose tumors had low levels of the neuroligin-3 gene lived longer than those whose tumors had high levels.
Answer:
The neuron is the basic building block of the brain and central nervous system. Neurons are specialized cells that transmit chemical and electrical signals. The brain is made up entirely of neurons and glial cells, which are non-neuronal cells that provide structure and support for the neurons.