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Healthy Glial Cell Transplants Slow Huntington’s Progression in Adult Mice

Restoring healthy glial support after symptoms emerge may unlock adult brain repair by stabilizing synaptic function

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After glial transplant, many of these genes were effectively switched back on. Credit: Neuroscience News

Overview

  • Researchers injected human glial progenitor cells into the striata of five-week-old R6/2 mice after symptom onset
  • Treated mice exhibited delayed motor deficits, improved memory performance and survival extended by several weeks
  • Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed reactivation of synaptic maintenance genes in neurons following glial replacement
  • Rabies-based neuronal tracing showed recovery of dendritic complexity and spine density in treated animals
  • Authors propose optimizing delivery protocols and combining glial replacement with gene-targeting strategies to advance toward clinical applications