A stress related signal that is usually linked to the body’s response to pressure may help the brain repair itself after injury, according to research from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry.
The study found that corticotropin releasing hormone, helps control the timing of brain repair cells after an injury. For years, stress has been associated with harmful effects on brain health, including anxiety, cognitive problems and cellular damage.
The new findings point to a different role for one stress related signal, showing that it may support the brain’s natural repair process. Researchers found that brain injuries trigger specific precursor cells to quickly produce and release CRH, a neuropeptide involved in the body’s stress response.
The CRH comes from oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, these precursor cells are responsible for producing oligodendrocytes, which create myelin, the protective layer that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers.
According to the study, CRH production begins within hours after a brain injury. The release then stops after about three days, suggesting that the signal plays a temporary role during the early stages of the repair process.
Researchers found that CRH works as a timing signal for OPCs. It helps control when these cells multiply and when they mature into functional oligodendrocytes.
This process is important because damaged nerve fibers need new myelin to restore their protective insulation. The study found that the timing of cell growth and development can affect how successfully damaged nerve tissue is repaired.
Researchers also examined the role of CRH receptor 1, which allows cells to respond to the signal. Without the correct response through this receptor, repair cells may multiply too quickly after an injury but fail to produce enough mature and lasting repair tissue.
The findings may provide new insight into how stress related signals affect brain development and repair. CRH is already known to play an important role in normal myelin development during early life.
Researchers believe the findings could also help scientists better understand conditions linked to changes in stress pathways, including depression and disorders involving damage to myelin. One such condition is multiple sclerosis, in which the protective covering around nerve fibers is damaged.
The research highlights a previously unexpected role for a stress related signal, suggesting that CRH may help coordinate the brain’s early response to injury and guide the cells involved in repairing damaged nerve connections.
