Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2022, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (12): 2655-2656.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.335815

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Neuron-neuron attraction shapes morphology and activity of tissue engineered brain constructs

Yevgeny Berdichevsky*   

  1. Department of Bioengineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
  • Online:2022-12-15 Published:2022-05-05
  • Contact: Yevgeny Berdichevsky, PhD, yeb211@lehigh.edu.
  • Supported by:
    The research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institute of Health under Award Number R21/R33NS088358.

Abstract: The propensity of neuronal stem cells to aggregate is well established. Aggregation of differentiated neurons, particularly those of the brain regions such as the cortex, has been reported more recently (Hasan et al., 2019; Ming et al., 2020). However, the tendency of these cells to aggregate may play a significant role in the brain’s response to injury, and may also be important in developing regenerative therapies to treat brain injury. Some types of injury, including stroke and trauma, result in formation of liquid-filled cavities in the brain (Kazim et al., 2011; Moreau et al., 2012). Cavities are also produced by resection surgery in patients suffering from epilepsy or by surgical brain tumor removal. Brain cavitation represents a loss of neural circuitry and therefore leads to deficits in function and behavior. Cell and tissue transplants and matrix implantation have been suggested as regenerative therapies to improve patient outcomes. The understanding of the processes occurring on cavity walls, which represent an abrupt transition between brain parenchyma and the liquid-filled interior of the cavity, is not complete. The size of the cavity can change dynamically in patients (Jarvis et al., 2012; Patel et al., 2018). This has been attributed to ongoing neuron loss after injury or cell proliferation in cancer patients. Cavity walls are characterized by gliosis, or formation of a glial cell-rich “scar” that separates neurons from liquid-filled cavity interior. This process has been attributed to injury-triggered inflammation and activation of wound healing response.