A clear illustration: how the brain heals the heart. Essentially, this image represents a prototype of a new kind of med…

A clear illustration: how the brain heals the heart. Essentially, this image represents a prototype of a new kind of medicine.

We see the hearts of mice 15 days after a heart attack. The ones on the right are significantly better preserved — they have more cardiac tissue and less fibrotic tissue. What’s the reason? The mice on the right had daily stimulation of a specific brain area: dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This reduced inflammation and enhanced healing in the heart. It also affected the liver, which began producing more of a protein that helps form new blood vessels in the damaged heart tissue. No direct treatment was applied to the heart itself; only brain cells were activated.

🔗 Article in Nature Cardiovascular Research

Of course, mice are not humans, and it’s important to remember this. However, there is reason for optimism, as this approach doesn’t depend on the differences in molecules, genes, and so on.

@science