Bipolar Today

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Scientists have discovered a protein that fluoresces when exposed to firing brain neurons, according to a new study published in the journal science. The protein, called archaerhodopsin-3 is derived from a microbe that lives in the Dead Sea. Unlike previous methods of detecting the firing of neurons, archaerhodopsin-3 is non-toxic, and so it does not kill the neurons after detection. This is less invasive, less damaging to the brain, and would allow scientists to examine the behavior of the same neuron over time (which is of course impossible if the neuron is destroyed after a single test). The test could be used in helping to understand what is happening in the brain of patients with bipolar disorder and other brain disorders. The tests are currently in their preliminary stages, but will soon be performed on zerbrafish and other transparent organism where the fluorescence will be easy to see. Tests on mouse neurons have also shown that they fluoresce when exposed to this protein, which opens up the possibility for future tests on the brains of mammals. More information about the study can be found here.

Commentary

It is hard to overestimate the possible impact that developing a less invasive method of detecting brain activity would have on brain research. Right now, imaging only allows for the most general understanding of what is happening in the brain, which is why most brain research will have conclusions like, “When someone thinks x, y part of the brain lights up.” It is as though people are stuck knowing that the heart has something to do with pumping blood, but without any understanding of how. Without such understanding, it is difficult to produce even accurate tests for brain disorders, let alone any solutions (imagine trying to do a bypass operation knowing only that a heart pumps blood without any understanding of the mechanisms). While any fruits of this research are a decade off at least, it provides real hope for new technologies to help people with mental illnesses.

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