Alumna Beth Stevens researches brain circuitry to find new ways to treat neurological diseases

MacArthur “genius award” recipient, Alumna Beth Stevens, at her seminar presented to the Northeastern Community. Photo by Adam Glanzman

Alumna Beth Stevens has made some discoveries that could bring a new approach to treatments for neurological diseases. Most people have been affected by neurological diseases within their families or communities. The new approach to understanding these illnesses brings us hope.

In a break­through study in 2012, Stevens dis­cov­ered that cells called microglia not only pro­tect the brain by reducing inflam­ma­tion, but also “prune” bad synapses during brain devel­op­ment, ensuring that the brain is wired prop­erly. The star­tling rev­e­la­tion also indi­cated that neurological dis­eases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and schiz­o­phrenia could stem from impaired microglial func­tion and abnormal acti­va­tion of this pruning mechanism. -News@Northeastern Article by Jason Kornwitz

Read the whole story here: Alumna’s Research Leads to New Understanding of Neurological Diseases