“Incredible” discovery about the functioning of the brain by Greek scientists in Denmark

A new study by a group of scientists in Denmark, led by two Greeks from the diaspora, sheds more light on the functioning of the brain of humans and mammals in general.

The discovery, described as “incredible”, was deemed sufficiently important to become the main topic and cover of the new issue of the leading scientific journal Nature.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, led by Professor Dimitris Stamou of the Department of Chemistry and his key collaborator Dr. Eleftherios Kosmidis, have found for the first time that a vital enzyme, which allows the transmission of signals within the brain, does not work on a continuous basis (as it had been taken for granted until now), but it “opens and closes” in a random way and even takes breaks of whole hours, but this does not lead the brain to “roll down”, as would be expected.

Millions of brain neurons are constantly sending messages to each other, which powers thinking, memory, body movement and other functions. When two neurons exchange a message, substances called neurotransmitters are transferred from one neuron to the other with the help of a vital enzyme that provides the necessary energy so that the transmission is possible.

Until now, scientists all over the world believed that these enzymes – absolutely necessary for the survival of an organism – are active all the time, but as the new research revealed, this is just not the case.

The close monitoring of the V-ATPase enzyme by Dr. Stamou and his team brought to light the periodic and intermittent activity of the enzyme. As he stated, “This is the first time anyone has studied these mammalian brain enzymes in such detail, and we were surprised by the result. Contrary to popular opinion and unlike many other proteins, these enzymes can stop working for several minutes or even hours. Yet the brains of humans and other mammals miraculously remain able to function.”

Dr. Stamou, who is a graduate of the British University of Leeds and the Swiss Federal Polytechnic of Lausanne (EPFL), described it as “almost incomprehensible” that during this highly critical process of transferring neurotransmitters between neurons “we find that in 40% over time these molecules of said enzymes are deactivated”. This raises many questions and, as the Greek scientist mentioned, it is hoped that in the future there will be a better understanding of what is happening.

The enzyme V-ATPase is an important drug target because it plays a key role in cancer and its metastases, as well as several other life-threatening diseases. The new discovery may open new avenues in anti-cancer treatment and not only.

RES-EMP

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