Dynamic neural and glial responses of a head-specific model for traumatic brain injury in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the strongest environmental risk factor for the accelerated development of neurodegenerative diseases. There are currently no therapeutics to address this due to lack of insight into mechanisms of injury progression, which are challenging to study in mammalian models. Here, we have developed and extensively characterized a head-specific approach to TBI in Drosophila, a powerful genetic system that shares many conserved genes and pathways with humans. The Drosophila TBI (dTBI) device inflicts mild, moderate, or severe brain trauma by precise compression of the head using a piezoelectric actuator. Head-injured animals display features characteristic of mammalian TBI, including severity-dependent ataxia, life span reduction, and brain degeneration

SUBMITTER: Saikumar J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7382229 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature