Single-Cell Striatum Atlas Reveals Neurological Disorder Vulnerabilities
Researchers generated a single-cell atlas of the striatum, identifying 31 neuronal subpopulations and disease-linked vulnerabilities that could inform studies of Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and substance use disorder. The post Single-Cell Striatum Atlas Reveals Neurological Disorder Vulnerabilities appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
Researchers from MIT have developed a single-cell atlas of the striatum, a brain region crucial for movement, decision-making, habit formation, and reward processing. This atlas, published in Cell, could help explain why certain neuronal populations are vulnerable to various neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and substance use disorder.
The study identified 31 neuronal subpopulations, including nine types of medium spiny neurons, and highlighted two outlier populations, D1 and D2, which showed high expression of genes related to substance use disorder, antidepressants, and the antipsychotic drug clozapine, respectively. The findings could potentially lead to more targeted drug strategies for these conditions.
The atlas also revealed why the dorsal striatum is particularly vulnerable in Huntington’s disease, with higher levels of genes MSH2 and MSH3 associated with CAG repeat length accumulation, a hallmark of the disease.
Brief written by urgent.news from GEN Biotechnology's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
