Scientists have revealed that they have discovered a way to revert an adult brain to the "plastic", child-like state that is more able to form new connections quickly.
Professor Carla Shatz of Stanford University and her colleagues have experimented on a protein expressed in brain cells known as PirB (this is the name of the protein in the animal model, in humans it is called "LilrB2?), which seems to stabilize neural connections.
The scientists found that interfering with the normal function of the neuron-stability molecule PirB had the remarkable effect of reverting at least one part of the brain to a more malleable state that could easily recover from damage, rewire itself and learn new skills. The study is exciting for not only its therapeutic implications, but also for the emerging field of brain and cognition-enhancing drugs.
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