Leopard geckos are well known for being able to shed their tail when threatened by predators, only to grow it back again. But now researchers at the University of Guelph, Canada have found that they may also be able to regenerate parts of their brains. The finding could lead to treatments for replacing human brain cells that have been lost or damaged due to injury, ageing or disease, the researchers say.
The team discovered that stem cells frequently produce new brain cells in the medial cortex of the geckos, a part of the brain that is responsible for social cognition and behaviour. This part of the lizard’s brain has a well-studied counterpart in the human brain – the hippocampus.
“The brain is a complex organ and there are so few good treatments for brain injury, so this is a very exciting area of research,” said Prof Matthew Vickaryous, who took part in the research. “The findings indicate that gecko brains are constantly renewing brain cells, something humans are notoriously bad at doing.”
To make the discovery, the team injected the lizards with a chemical label that latched onto the DNA of newly formed cells, allowing them to see where they first arose, how they moved, and what type of cell they ultimately became.
“The next step in this area of research is to determine why some species, like geckos, can replace brain cells, while other species, like humans, cannot,” said lead researcher Rebecca McDonald, a student of veterinary medicine who specialises in healing. “Recently, there’s been a lot of new information coming out about the brain’s ability to produce new cells, something that was long thought to be impossible. This is definitely an area of research that has potential to change the way we treat brain injuries.”
This is an extract from issue 326 of BBC Focus magazine.
Subscribe and get the full article delivered to your door, or download the BBC Focus app to read it on your smartphone or tablet. Find out more
Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard
Authors
Jason is the commissioning editor for BBC Science Focus. He holds an MSc in physics and was named Section Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2019. He has been reporting on science and technology for more than a decade. During this time, he's walked the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, watched Stephen Hawking deliver his Reith Lecture on Black Holes and reported on everything from simulation universes to dancing cockatoos. He looks after the magazine’s and website’s news sections and makes regular appearances on the Science Focus Podcast.
