苏黎世大学研究人员发现，成年鼠脑内的星形胶质细胞能够通过一种名为"核转位"的过程修复受损的脑细胞网络[1]。这一机制涉及细胞生成新的细胞核，并将其沿着长距离的细胞延伸运输到受损区域[1]，推翻了长期以来关于成年脑无法完全修复受损星形胶质细胞的科学认识。
这项由布鲁诺·韦伯领导、玛丽娜·赫沃思和马蒂亚斯·维斯为共同第一作者的研究采用双光子显微镜技术对活体小鼠脑进行了数周的实时观察[1]，结果已发表于《自然神经科学》2026年第29卷第8期[1]。研究还识别出多个在修复过程中临时激活的基因和信号通路[1]，这些因素有望成为未来促进脑再生治疗的潜在靶点，为脑损伤和自身免疫疾病的治疗开辟新的研究方向。
Researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered that astrocytes, a type of brain cell, possess a previously underappreciated ability to repair neural damage by creating new cell nuclei and transporting them across long distances to injured regions [1]. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that adult brain cells of this type cannot fully restore damaged astrocytic networks [1].
The repair mechanism, termed "nuclear translocation," involves newly formed cell nuclei traveling along extended cellular projections into compromised areas of brain tissue [1]. Using two-photon microscopy, the research team observed this process in real time over several weeks in living rodent brains [1]. The study, led by Bruno Weber with Marina Herwerth and Matthias Wyss as co-first authors, has been published in Nature Neuroscience, volume 29, issue 8, in 2026 [1].
Researchers identified multiple genes and signaling pathways that are temporarily activated during brain healing [1]. These molecular targets may offer future opportunities for therapeutically enhancing brain regeneration and could inform new treatment strategies for brain injuries and autoimmune neurological conditions [1].