Neuronal plasticity is facilitated by the enzymatic digestion of the brain’s extracellular matrix (ECM) (Akol et al., 2021). This fluorescence microscopy image shows neurons in the mouse visual cortex enwrapped by red labelled ECM molecules. Upper row: low magnification, lower row: high magnification. Photo: Siegrid Löwel
Neuronal plasticity is facilitated by the enzymatic digestion of the brain's extracellular matrix (ECM) (Akol et al. This fluorescence microscopy image shows neurons in the mouse visual cortex enwrapped by red labelled ECM molecules. Upper row: low magnification, lower row: high magnification. Photo: Siegrid Löwel Göttingen researchers investigate the effect of certain enzymes in the healthy and diseased brain The brain is a remarkably complex and adaptable organ. However, adaptability decreases with age: as new connections between nerve cells in the brain form less easily, the brain's plasticity decreases. If there is an injury to the central nervous system such as after a stroke, the brain needs to compensate for this by reorganising itself. To do this, a dense network of molecules between the nerve cells - known as the extracellular matrix - must loosen.
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