Nov. 14 – A new ray of hope to tackle neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, arose through the study on antidepressant therapies conducted by Maura Boldrini. Boldrini is a researcher at the University of Florence, and her research is on the front page of the Biological Psychiatry Journal under the title “Hippocampal Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Angiogenesis Are Increased with Antidepressant Use in Major Depression.” The Florentine scientist has shown that, on those suffering from depression, drug treatment stimulates the growth of neural stem cells and blood vessels. “The regenerative niche that we have identified in the human brain, composed of a cellular component and a vascular revealed regenerative ability in case of strokes and other pathological conditions – says Boldrini – At this point, it is a matter of finding the correct way to ensure the survival of these cells and integrate them into the existing circuits so that they can perform their function. This finding reinforces the expectations of the scientific community towards potential treatments based on the regenerative capacity of stem cells.” The experiments were conducted in the laboratory at Columbia University, with which the University of Florence has established an international collaboration coordinated by Dr. Boldrini, which allows exchanges for research and training of doctors, interns, graduate students and structured.
