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Post date: Jan 23, 2016 9:10:37 PM
November 17, 2015
Researchers find that vascular defects also play role in motor neuron loss
BY KARA ELAM
U.K. researchers funded by the SMA Trust have found that insufficient blood supply may well contribute to motor neuron loss in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The study entitled, “Vascular defects and spinal cord hypoxia in spinal muscular atrophy,” was published in the latest edition of the Annals of Neurology.
This potentially important discovery was led by Dr. Simon Parson, PhD, Chair in Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Parson’s research interests are focused on determining the relationship between SMN protein deficiency and blood vessel defects, utilizing a variety of model species and tissues, to further understand the molecular mechanisms involved in tissue-specific defects in SMA, hopefully leading to novel treatment strategies for this childhood disease.
In this study, Dr. Parson and his colleagues used an experimental mouse model of SMA to investigate whether defects associated with the animal’s vasculature contributed to motor neuron pathology in SMA. After a series of experiments, primary study findings showed that the SMA mouse spinal cord was accompanied by significant functional defects in the blood-spinal cord barrier, indicating that defects in the animals’ vasculature may contribute to SMA pathogenesis.
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