Spanish scientists from the Institute for Medical Research and the Hospital de Barcelona in Barcelona have created the first biological bank of neurons, which should help them in the study and treatment of mental illnesses. In fact, these cells are still immature, although they consist of all the same components and, most importantly, are outside the skull.

Previously, researchers in this field faced the main problem, which was the difficulty of sampling, which had to be performed either with the use of trepanation of the skull, or by an even more complicated procedure conducted under anesthesia through the nose. Now, for this it is sufficient to scrape the cells in the olfactory bulb without causing any serious concern to the patient. The entire procedure takes a few minutes and is carried out under local anesthesia in the form of a spray, so you can reach the very top of the nostrils.

The goal of scientists is to study the processes occurring in neurons at the biochemical and molecular level in the presence of any mental disorder. While in the biological bank there are 50 samples owned by patients with schizophrenia and depression, as well as regular cannabis users. The Spanish hope that in this way it will be possible to find new effective methods of treating disorders and diseases that affect to some extent up to 25% of the population.

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