Discovery of enhanced bone growth could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis

UCLA and UC San Francisco life scientists have discovered a dramatic pattern of bone growth in female mice — research that could potentially lead to stronger bone density in women and new treatments for osteoporosis in older women.The researchers found that blocking a particular set of signals from a small number of neurons in the brain causes female, but not male, mice to build super-strong bones and maintain them into old age. These neurons may play an important role in controlling women ’s bone density, the researchers said. Thestudy was published Jan. 11 in the journal  Nature Communications.“We think we have identified a new pathway by which the brain regulates bone density that holds great promise because it allows the body to shift new bone formation into overdrive,” said co-author Stephanie Correa, a UCLA assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology, and member of UCLA ’s Brain Research Institute.More than 200 million people worldwide suffer from osteoporosis, in which bones weaken and can easily fracture. Women are at relatively high risk of osteoporosis after menopause.Correa said the study highlights the importance of studying females, as well as males. “We would have missed this if we had studied only males,” she said. “The differences between what we see in males and females will give us more clues about how these neurons develop, how they work and what they do. The more we understand about how the neurons work, the closer we wil...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news