People who suffered stroke could soon regain their mobility with the recent discovery of a molecule that can signal the brain tissue to build new connections and start repairs. Researchers from the U.S. said that the molecule, known as Growth Differentiation Factor 10 (GDF10), could eventually help develop a new drug for brain repair and functional recovery of stroke patients.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) said that they are the first to identify GDF10, which had never been known to play a role in the brains of adults. The almost five-year study in animal models found that the molecule is released after humans and animals experience stroke.

The researchers analysed how the GDF10 works in the brain by giving it to animals, after strokes, and mapping the connections in the brain that are associated with body movement. They mapped the connections in three groups of animals: those that have healthy brains, animals that had a stroke but were not given GDF10, and those that experienced stroke and had a reduced level of GDF10.

The findings showed that delivering more GDF10 improves the formation of new connections, mostly in a specific circuit in the brain. Through GDF10, the new connections in the circuit have significantly improved the recovery of limb control of the patients, according to Dr S. Thomas Carmichael, senior author of the study and professor at the UCLA.

"We found that GDF10 induces new connections to form in the brain after stroke, and that this mediates the recovery of the ability to control bodily movement," Carmichael said in a press release. Carmichael is also the vice chair for research and programmes in the UCLA department of neurology.

"The brain has a limited capacity for recovery after stroke," Carmichael explained. "Most stroke patients get better after their initial stroke, but few fully recover.” Carmichael added that the molecule might be useful in enhancing stroke patients' mobility through the development of a new drug.

The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, also indicates that the researchers have identified the signalling systems that control how GDF10 can promote the brain cells' ability to create new connections.

The team found that GDF10 controls a unique collection of other molecules, improving the recovery of patients after stroke. According to the study, the regeneration of brain tissue after a stroke can be described as a unique process instead of just a reactivation of the molecules.

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