AUG 04, 2018

A Radical New Approach to Treating Neurodegeneration

WRITTEN BY: Carmen Leitch

An associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania, D. Kacy Cullen, is developing a new approach for treating patients that have neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

Our brain is made up of a complex network of neurons. The paths that electrical impulses travel as they move through these neurons is what makes the brain work. But after injury or during disease, those pathways can break down. Retrieving them is not possible with current tools, and it's a major impediment to treating neural degeneration. 

But in Cullen’s lab, they are working on restoring those pathways. It could be a major breakthrough in the treatment of brain dysfunction. Learn more from the video.