Lucas S Kumosa and Jens Schouenborg (Photo: Tove Smeds)
Researchers already know that gelatin-covered electrode implants cause less damage to brain tissue than electrodes with no gelatin coating. Researchers at the Neuronano Research Centre (NRC) at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that microglia, the brain's cleansing cells, and the enzymes that the cells use in the cleaning process, change in the presence of gelatin. "Knowledge about the beneficial effects of gelatin could be significant for brain surgery, but also in the development of brain implants", say the researchers behind the study. Our brains are surrounded by a blood brain barrier which protects the brain from harmful substances that could enter it via the bloodstream. When the barrier is penetrated, as in the case of biopsy or brain surgery for example, leaks can occur and cause serious inflammation. Researchers at the NRC have previously shown that gelatin accelerates brain tissue healing and reduces damage to nerve cells in the case of electrode implants, but only now are they starting to understand how. The researchers used sedated rats to investigate how the brain is repaired after an injury.
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