Don’t get excited it’s only the fountain of youth for brain cells but what their research has found is a signaling molecule that turns a switch back on to produce neurons. Those neurons or lack thereof are linked to cognitive decline as we age.
In studies, mice whose molecule for creating the neurons had been turned back on reached an equal mental performance to younger animals whose neurons had not been turned off. Of course so far the studies only relate to mice and we have seen promising studies in mice that didn’t payoff once shifted to larger mammals. Here’s the study information.
In other health news, researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Neurobiology have found that a small family of proteins called Ras can alert the immune system to the presence of cancer cells. Prof. Kloog, a researcher on the study suggested that the drug could be used to augment therapy for combating melanoma and tip the scales in favor of the healthy cells. Approximately 10,000 Americans die each year from Melanoma. Find the article here.