Brain Cell News and Research

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Cerebral organoids provide new insight into role of key enzyme in natural brain development

Like many around the world, the lab of Professor Mriganka Sur in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT has embraced the young technology of cerebral organoids, or "minibrains," for studying human brain development in health and disease.

11 May 2021

Preclinical study finds sex differences in neurological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Neurological problems during and after COVID-19 are persistent and frequent. However, research is still ongoing as to why certain people exhibit specific symptoms. Research led by Yi-Ping Hsueh from the Institute of Molecular Biology in Taiwan suggests SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain could be sex-dependent.

10 May 2021

Researchers study sex-specific gene mutation linked to autism

After reviewing a database of gene mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a team of Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) researchers decided to study a specific gene mutation that likely caused ASD in a girl.

6 May 2021

Experimental drug reverses key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed an experimental drug that reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

22 Apr 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Chaperone protein imbalance can play key role in initiating toxic tau buildup in the aging brain

Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain - an early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) neuroscientists suggests.

20 Apr 2021

New study sheds light on complex brain process that helps learn and form new memories

Making memories involves more than seeing friends or taking photos. The brain constantly adapts to new information and stores memories by building connections among neurons, called synapses. How neurons do this--reaching out arm-like dendrites to communicate with other neurons--requires a ballet of genes, signaling molecules, cellular scaffolding and protein-building machinery.

19 Apr 2021

New cell counting method offers a robust protocol for studying animal brains

Using a surprisingly simple technique, researchers in the University of Arizona Department of Neuroscience have succeeded in approximating how many brain cells make up the brains of several species of bees, ants and wasps.

9 Apr 2021

Microrna-29 molecule controls brain maturation in mammals

A team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine identified a molecule called microRNA-29 as a powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals. Deleting microRNA-29 in mice caused problems very similar to those seen in autism, epilepsy, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

8 Apr 2021

Finding ways to reverse a genetic cause of poor stress responses in mice

Everyone faces stress occasionally, whether in school, at work, or during a global pandemic. However, some cannot cope as well as others.

7 Apr 2021

UNC scientists identify a molecule as powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals

7 Apr 2021

Mimicking stress signals can protect the brain and retina from aging

How do different parts of the body communicate? Scientists at St. Jude are studying how signals sent from skeletal muscle affect the brain.

27 Mar 2021

Researchers are working to speed up drug development to treat brain diseases

Though 40 million concussions are recorded annually, no effective treatment exists for them or for many other brain-related illnesses.

23 Mar 2021

Star-shaped brain cells impact the length and depth of sleep in mice

For something we spend one-third of our lives doing, we still understand remarkably little about how sleep works -- for example, why can some people sleep deeply through any disturbance, while others regularly toss and turn for hours each night? And why do we all seem to need a different amount of sleep to feel rested?

22 Mar 2021

New research project aims to treat patients with secondary brain damage

The Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge have launched a new research project aimed at discovering if selective P2X7 receptor blocker drugs can be repurposed to treat patients with secondary brain damage.

9 Mar 2021

Inhibition of complement disrupts neurodegeneration, improves cognitive function in TBI patients

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and a risk factor for early-onset dementia. The injury is characterized by a physical insult followed acutely by complement driven neuroinflammation.

9 Mar 2021

Study shows how mutant huntingtin protein triggers brain cell death

In 1993, scientists discovered that a single mutated gene, HTT, caused Huntington's disease, raising high hopes for a quick cure. Yet today, there's still no approved treatment.

7 Mar 2021

Scientists seek to enhance artificial intelligence by integrating brain cells

With a new grant from the U.S. Army, a team of scientists will seek to enhance artificial intelligence by integrating brain cells called astrocytes.

5 Mar 2021

Well-known spasmolytic drug can suppress inflammatory response in astrocytes

Biologists from RUDN University confirmed that a well-known spasmolytic drug called hymecromone can suppress the inflammatory response in astrocytes, important glial cells of the central nervous system.

26 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does not infect the entire body in the same way, finds study

COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is primarily regarded as a respiratory infection. Yet the virus has also become known for affecting other parts of the body in ways not as well understood, sometimes with longer-term consequences, such as heart arrhythmia, fatigue and "brain fog."

24 Feb 2021