Srikanth Aluru:
You are right about the problem with culturing neurons. However, it doesn't just depend upon signaling and molecular levels since both of these depend upon a much broader view. We have to look at the brain as an organ system, not just as an organ in the nervous system. The three most important aspects of the nervous system are not molecules, signals, and cells or even hormones and neurotransmitters but : 1) location, 2) location, 3) location. We see this constantly expressed during development of the neural plate, neural tube and separate sections of the developing nervous system. The function of each neuron depends upon its location. Synapses are marked territories for the attachment a specific neuron from another location. We know that synapses can be long-term or ephemeral. If you move a neuron from the medulla into the mesencephalon in a particular nucleus, it will change its function, much like (but not nearly as easily as) epidermal cells do during development because they depend upon the environment surrounding them to express their distinctive genes. Now, clearly neurons are more specialized than epidermal cells at the time of relocation, but their function is assigned by activity around it, both near and far. I suspect that the location of a post-synaptic membrane is what is stored on the pre-synaptic cell membrane, and its axon follows markers placed on myelination cell (oligodendrite) and non-myelinated cell (neuron) membranes. This theory remains to be tested but I think it best explains a lot of the signaling and molecular data. You cannot be a molecular biologist and ignore the tissue, organ, and system levels of organization, or you are doomed to not understanding or developing theory which certainly must be the originating mechanisms for observation and hypothesis testing.
the day is not behind when brain can itself be cultured and transplanted.
Yes..Obviously ...But it needs more revolutions,,,Possibly have lesser chances for artificial memory.
well ron..let me clarify what i meant exactly. may be about 10 years back nobody even thought that one could actually create a living cell or any biological functioning system.but today we stand in this extraordinary position of proving it wrong. we have created a functionally active virus. so why not the brain. science is a ever blooming subject.something which might not seem possible today will not remain the same always.that is what i meant.
@ Revathi...your wright for some extent up to culturing of cells and make them active in the therapy.But after development of Human genome project a lot of hopes on congenital as well neurological disease treatment and therapy procedures.The recent revolution is culturing of neurons,but make them functional is a critical one ..its all depends on molecular levels and signaling pathways,the unknown pathways in brain function is many, with out having knowledge on signaling mechanisms ..the approach is difficult.
Srikanth Aluru:
You are right about the problem with culturing neurons. However, it doesn't just depend upon signaling and molecular levels since both of these depend upon a much broader view. We have to look at the brain as an organ system, not just as an organ in the nervous system. The three most important aspects of the nervous system are not molecules, signals, and cells or even hormones and neurotransmitters but : 1) location, 2) location, 3) location. We see this constantly expressed during development of the neural plate, neural tube and separate sections of the developing nervous system. The function of each neuron depends upon its location. Synapses are marked territories for the attachment a specific neuron from another location. We know that synapses can be long-term or ephemeral. If you move a neuron from the medulla into the mesencephalon in a particular nucleus, it will change its function, much like (but not nearly as easily as) epidermal cells do during development because they depend upon the environment surrounding them to express their distinctive genes. Now, clearly neurons are more specialized than epidermal cells at the time of relocation, but their function is assigned by activity around it, both near and far. I suspect that the location of a post-synaptic membrane is what is stored on the pre-synaptic cell membrane, and its axon follows markers placed on myelination cell (oligodendrite) and non-myelinated cell (neuron) membranes. This theory remains to be tested but I think it best explains a lot of the signaling and molecular data. You cannot be a molecular biologist and ignore the tissue, organ, and system levels of organization, or you are doomed to not understanding or developing theory which certainly must be the originating mechanisms for observation and hypothesis testing.
Has no one here heard of craig venter's work? I am disappointed.
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/20/craig-venter-creates.html
John, that is interesting technology, but as noted, it does depend upon living cells with replacement of their DNA with man-made DNA. It is a long way from creating a living cell de novo, though it is fascinating research. And it is even further from producing the levels of complexity that exist in the organization of neurons within a brain.
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