Immune system sculpts rat brains during development

Published on April 29, 2023

The brain is like a bustling construction site, constantly reshaping and remodeling as it develops. In a fascinating study on rats, scientists have discovered that the immune system plays a surprising and integral role in this ongoing braincrafting process. Like craftspeople, immune system cells in the female rat brain meticulously sculpt and shape a specific region of the brain during development. They do this by gobbling up and digesting neurons, resulting in differences in brain size between male and female rats. These immune-driven changes have long-lasting consequences, influencing the behavioral preferences of adult rats. It’s as if the immune system has its own toolbox and blueprint for brain-building! This groundbreaking research opens up a whole new avenue of understanding about the intricate relationship between the immune system and brain development. To learn more about this fascinating study, grab your scientific hardhat and dive into the details!

Researchers have identified the mechanism for why and how one brain region differs in size between male and female rats. The study found that immune system cells in the brains of females consume and digest neurons to sculp a region of the brain during development and that later affects behavioral preferences in adulthood.

Read Full Article (External Site)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>