Science has discovered the ‘zombie’ gene in the brain of the recently deceased

The naming of genes that are most active after brain death as ‘zombies’ only made the study more remarkable. This has nothing to do with the zombies in the sci-fi movies.
In a new study by scientists from the University of Illinois, Chicago, some cells in the brain start to work harder when the brain stops working.

Researchers have gathered tissue samples from patients for brain research after death. Accordingly, the “zombie” gene may influence the study of brain-related diseases if the team prolongs the time to access the sample. The researchers analyzed gene expression from living brain tissue and found that in some cells, gene expression increased after death. They observed that inflamed glial cells develop and grow arm-like branches several hours after death. “Most research confirms that all activity in the brain stops when the heart stops beating, but not really,” said Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, Dean of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation at the University of Illinois Medical School. , Chicago. The “zombie” genes are activated after the brain stops working. They are glial genes responsible for attention to damaged brain tissue. Photo: Dr. Jeffrey Loeb / UIC. According to the Yourgenome.com Gene expression is the process of converting genetic information in DNA into functional products such as proteins or other molecules. “It’s not surprising that glial cells develop right after the heart stops beating. These cells become inflamed and their job is to clear things up after brain damage such as hypoxia or a sudden attack. Stroke, “Loeb said in a university press release. Also according to him, the connections are very remarkable. Most research uses post-mortem human brain tissue to find treatments for disorders like Autism, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, these studies did not take into account continuation of gene expression or cell activity. “Our findings will shed light on research on brain tissue in humans. It’s just that at this point, we haven’t yet quantified the changes,” said Loeb. Loeb is the director of UI NeuroRepository (at the University of Illinois), a bank that stores brain tissue, with consent, of patients with neurological disorders. Brain tissue is collected and stored when the patient dies or is in surgery. Not all brain tissue is needed to diagnose the disease, some of which is used for research. Loeb and his team noticed that the gene expression patterns in living brain tissue did not match any previous findings of brain tissue gene expression after death. Therefore, they conducted a simulation experiment to observe the expression of all genes in the human body 24 hours after death. As a result, about 80% of the genes maintain relative stability within 24 hours. These include genes that provide basic functions of the cell. Another group of genes, brain activity (such as memory, thinking, and seizure) quickly subsides within hours of death. A third group of genes – the “zombie” gene – became more active while the other groups of genes gradually decreased activity. During the first 12 hours of brain death, activity of the “zombie” gene peaked. “We found 1,427 genes clustered. A cluster of 317 rapidly depleted genes was predicted to be neuron and coincided with genes dependent on activity. The second cluster of 474 genes is predicted to be glia, consisting of astrocytes and microglia. Notably, due to the rapid decrease in the cluster of nerve cells, the glial cell cluster has significantly increased “, the scientists shared. These findings mean that researchers need to take these changes into account and minimize the time from death to study as much as possible to curb those changes that are too big, Dr. Loeb said. “The good news is that we know which genes and cells are stable, are decreasing, and which are increasing over time, which helps guide post-death brain research better,” he said. Therefore, naming the genes that are most active in the brain after death as “zombies” only makes this research more remarkable. This has nothing to do with the zombies in the sci-fi movies. Understanding the brain’s chemical signals is key to helping scientists find ways to cure brain-damaging diseases like Huntington’s chorea. This research was supported by an abundance of resources from the University of Illinois neuroscience archive, a collection of brain tissue samples with epilepsy and other ailments.