In the study in question, researchers have studied the brains of 55 deceased people in the age range from under 1 to 92 years. They were able to establish that at birth most oligodendrocytes are immature. They subsequently mature at a rapid rate until the age of five, when most reach maturity. After this, the turnover rate is very low. Only one in 300 oligodendrocytes are replaced per year, which means that we keep most of these cells our whole lives. This was apparent when the researchers carbon-dated the deceased people's cells. The levels of carbon-14 isotopes rose sharply in the atmosphere after the nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War, and they provided a date mark in the cells. By studying carbon-14 levels in the oligodendrocytes, researchers have been able to determine their age.
在该研究中,科学家们研究了1岁至92岁的55位死者的大脑。他们断言,新生婴儿大脑中的少突胶质细胞都是不成熟的,随后这些细胞迅速生长,在5岁之前大部分成熟了。接下来,它们更新换代的速度很慢。300个少突胶质细胞中每年只有1个更新,这意味着大多数的细胞会伴随我们终生。研究者们观察死者脑细胞时发现这是显而易见的。冷战期间由于核武器实验,大气中的C-14含量迅猛增长。通过研究少突胶质细胞中的-14含量,科学家们可确定死者年龄。
"We were surprised by this discovery. In humans, the existing oligodendrocytes modulate their myelin production, instead of replacing the cells as in mice. It is probably what enables us to adapt and learn faster. Production of myelin is vital in several neurological diseases such as MS. We now have new basic knowledge to build upon," says Jonas Frisén, PhD, Professor of Stem Cell Research at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Karolinska Institutet.
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2020-09-15
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