Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, ALS (Lou Gehrig's), Huntington's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, and even stroke affect millions of Americans. The outcome of these diseases is devastating and life altering. As our population ages, the number of patients with signs of neurodegeneration is also on the rise. Yet, treatment options are limited.

Thus far scientists have studied many treatment approaches with limited success. Now scientists at the Institute for Cell and Neurobiology at the Charite in Berlin, Germany, together with colleagues at the Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology in Bonn, Germany, have figured out, why nerve cells are not being regenerated in the brain of patients suffering from a neurodegenerative condition. This might lead to a successful treatment option in the restoration of nerve cell regeneration. Ultimately, it might even advance other nerve cell regeneration research such as in cases of spinal injuries.

Neurodegenerative diseases can take many forms. Many of us are familiar with conditions like Alzheimer's, ALS (Lou Gehrig's), Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Multiple Sclerosis. There are many more less common forms of neurodegeneration. Even epilepsy, stroke, and other head traumas yield a form of neurodegeneration in a patient. They all have in common that a patient slowly or suddenly looses neural brain and/or spinal functions. The loss of neurons in those areas leads to the usually irreversible inability to control movements, sensory functions, and even decision making.

Scientists have taken many approaches to treat neurodegenerative conditions. Research is being conducted on the neurological, neuropahtological, cell biological, genetical, molecular biological, computational and structural biological, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical level. Currently, most treatment options only offer relieve of the symptoms. A cure is not available. Brain damage is still permanent damage.

However, much progress has been made in recent years with a focus on how the neurodegeneration functions and why the neuro-regeneration process in the brain is interrupted. In fact, for a long time scientists believed that nerve/brain cells simply don't regenerate. But in 1999 it was found the brain indeed does regularly form new nerve cells from stem cells.

However, in patients suffering from neurodegeneration, this function is interrupted. New nerve cells are not formed. Instead the stem cells produce so called glial cells, which merely provide structure and support to the nerve cells. While nerve cells can in essence repair the damage to the brain caused by the neurodegeneration, the glial cells are unable to do so. They cannot process information in the way nerve cells do. Consequently, the damage caused by the neurodegeneration process cannot be reversed and is permanent. But what causes this devastating shift in cell production?

The German scientist at the Charite in Berlin found an enzyme named SIRT1, which in the new cell development process in the brain acts as a determinant as to which cells should be developed, nerve cells or glial cells. Because the neurodegeneration results in oxidative stress in the brain, SIRT1 "gives the instruction" to generate glial cells to support the remaining nerve cells, instead of nerve cells which could actually repair the damage.

This is a major step forward in the search for a cure for neurodegeneration. With this discovery scientists now can focus on how the nerve cell regeneration process can be kick-started and guided in order to repair the damage caused by the neurodegenerative condition of a patient. This gives hope to patients that their deteriorating condition could at least be stopped, maybe even reversed.

Ultimately, scientists might not only be able to reverse brain but also spinal injuries, where nerve cell regeneration also seems to be the key for restoring mobility.