Download Zika may cause brain damage in adults, too August 19, 2016 By

Zikamaycausebraindamageinadults,too
August19,2016
By:AmrithRamkumar
Zikamayposeadangerforfarmanymoreofusthanpregnantwomenandbabies,a
newstudysuggests.
MosquitoeshavenowtransmittedthevirusinasecondareainSouthFlorida,
officialsannouncedonFriday,astheyadvisedpregnantwomennottotraveltothe
zoneinMiamiBeach.AsthevirusspreadsintheAmericas,withmorethan10,000
casesconfirmedintheUnitedStates,researchersareworkingtounderstandits
subtletiesanddevelopavaccine.
Inadditiontocausingthebirthdefectmicrocephaly,Zikacanwreakhavocinour
brains'stemcells,researchersfromRockefellerUniversityandLaJollaInstitutefor
AllergyandImmunologyfoundinastudypublishedinthejournalCellStem
CellThursday.
Thestemcells,knownasneuralprogenitorcells,helpreplacedamagedneurons—
themaincomponentsofourbrainandspinalcord—andassistwithlearningand
memory.Usingamousemodel,theresearchersfoundthatZikacantargetthose
cells,whichcanleadtoreducedbrainvolumeandcomplicationsinbrain
functioning—similartothelong-termeffectsofmicrocephaly.
“GettinginfectedwithZikaasanadultmaynotbeasinnocuousaspeoplethink,”
JosephGleeson,thestudy'sleadauthorandheadofRockefeller’spediatricbrain
diseaselaboratory,saidinarelease.
NeuralprogenitorcellswerepreviouslythoughttobecomeresistanttoZikaasthey
becameneuronsinhealthyadults,butGleeson'steam'sstudyfoundthatZikaaffects
thespecificcellsinadultsjustasitdoesinfetuses.Usingfluorescentbiomarkers,the
researchersshowedthattheareaswiththebrain’sstemcellsweresignificantly
infected.
Duringfetaldevelopment,theZikavirusaffectsthewholebrainevenly.Butinadult
mice,theresearchersfoundZikaaffectedonlyregionsspecifictoneuralprogenitor
cells—thoughtheyhaveyettotesttheresultsoftheirstudyinhumans.
“It’sacomplexdisease—it’scatastrophicforearlybraindevelopment,yetthe
majorityofadultswhoareinfectedwithZikararelyshowdetectablesymptoms.Its
effectontheadultbrainmaybemoresubtle,andnowweknowwhattolookfor,”
saidSujanShresta,aprofessorattheLaJollaInstituteofAllergyandImmunology
andoneoftheauthorsofthestudy,intherelease.
Theresearchers’findingscouldalsohelpexplainhowZikahasbeenlinkedto
Guillain-Barrésyndrome,adisorderinwhichthebody’simmunesystemattacksits
nervoussystem.Thedisordercancauseparalysis,andZika-affectedcountrieshave
seenmorecases,whichtheresearcherssaycouldbetheresultoflosingneural
progenitorcells.