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To Make Mice Smarter, Add A Few Human Brain Cells

Scientists have injected some human glial cells into the brains of newborn mice. When the mice grew up, they were faster learners. A study, published Thursday in Cell Stem Cell, not only introduces a new tool to study the mechanisms of the human brain, it supports the hypothesis that glial cells — and not just neurons — play an important role in learning. 

The researchers say these mice are measurably smarter. In classic maze tests, they learn faster. “They make many fewer errors, and it takes them less time to come to the appropriate answer,” says Steve Goldman, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester who has studied brain cells for decades.

It might take a normal mouse four or five attempts to learn the correct route, for example. But a mouse with human brain cells could get it on the second try. Glial cells — those boring glial cells — somehow enhance learning. (NPR)

This sounds pretty shady…why didn’t the immune system just kill the cells?