Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : September 2, 2018 12:20 PM IST
You lose brain cells as you age. © Shutterstock
It is a known fact that as we age there is a definite cognitive decline that has been attributed to death of brain cells. But why these brain cells die with time is something that was not studied extensively. It was always attributed to ageing and a phenomenon that is irrefutable. Bit scientists have now come up with an explanation in a recent study that has has highlighted the importance and activities of the so-called microglial cells in brain aging. These calls are a part of the brain's immune defence. They detect and kill foreign particles like bacteria and microbes and eliminate diseased and defective cells. They are also responsible to alert other immune cells in the body to become alert against bacterial or microbial attack. This is how they protect the brain.
They are the CB1 receptor which are is responsible for the intoxicating effect of cannabis. However, it appears to act as a kind of "sensor" with which neurons measure and control the activity of certain immune cells in the brain. If the sensor fails, chronic inflammation may result - probably the beginning of a dangerous vicious circle. "We know that so-called endocannabinoids play an important role in this. These are messenger substances produced by the body that act as a kind of brake signal: They prevent the inflammatory activity of the glial cells," explained researcher Andras Bilkei-Gorzo as reported by a news agency.
The scientists at the University of Bonn have now been able to shed light on this puzzle. Their findings indicate that the brake signals do not communicate directly with the glial cells, but via middlemen - a certain group of neurons, because this group has a large number of CB1 receptors. "We have studied laboratory mice in which the receptor in these neurons was switched off," explains Bilkei-Gorzo in the report. "The inflammatory activity of the microglial cells was permanently increased in these animals."
The findings appeared in the Journal of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
With inputs from ANI
