Can scientists leverage mysterious mossy cells for brain disease treatments?

A small population of brain cells deep in a memory-making region of the brain controls the production of new neurons and may have a role in common brain disorders, according to a study from scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The scientists, who published their work in Neuron, showed that "mossy cells" in the hippocampus regulate local stem cells to control their production of new neurons, which is important for normal learning and memory, stress response, and mood regulation. Such neurogenesis in the adult brain is disrupted in many common conditions including Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury, and some forms of epilepsy. Targeting mossy cells to reverse such disruption may, therefore, offer a new strategy for treating these conditions.