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Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Recent research in mice indicates that destructive activity of cells in the brain is increased after sleep deprivation and may increase the risk of developing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2017

BGU researchers redesign portion of FDA-approved drug into new molecule to treat ALS

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers are developing a new therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using part of an existing FDA-approved drug that restores the central nervous system's (CNS) immune defenses and increases life expectancy.

25 May 2017

University of Warwick research focuses on absence epilepsy that affects children

A University of Warwick study to understand a form of epilepsy that affects children has received a grant from the charity Epilepsy Research UK. The research focuses on absence epilepsy which is largely a childhood condition which is characterized by sudden, brief interruptions of consciousness.

18 May 2017

Stem cell treatment helps improve motor functions, nervous system conditions in mice with ALS

Researchers at the University of South Florida show in a new study that bone marrow stem cell transplants helped improve motor functions and nervous system conditions in mice with the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by repairing damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier.

15 May 2017

Discovery of signaling pathway offers new functional framework for treating schizophrenia

Neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a new signaling pathway that directly connects two major receptors in the brain associated with learning and memory – the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAChR) – which has significance for current efforts to develop drugs to treat schizophrenia.

4 May 2017

Scientists map genetic changes that help drive aggressive brain tumor

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and collaborators have mapped genetic changes that help drive an aggressive tumor as it develops in the brain – helping to lay the foundation for targeted treatment of the disease.

3 May 2017

Scientists use time-lapse video to identify cells that trigger blood stem cell development

Like private investigators on a stake out, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists used patience and video surveillance-like tools to identify cells that trigger blood cell development.

10 Apr 2017

Study identifies CD38 gene to be essential for postnatal glial cell development

Cells in the brain are categorized roughly into two; neurons and the others, namely, glial cells. It is essential for sound development of the brain that both neurons and glial cells develop in a normal and adequate manner not only at fetal but also postnatal stages.

7 Apr 2017

Treatment with microRNA re-insulates ravaged nerves, restores limb mobility in mouse models of MS

Scientists partially re-insulated ravaged nerves in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and restored limb mobility by treating the animals with a small non-coding RNA called a microRNA.

27 Mar 2017

Lund researchers develop porous ‘spaghetti’ to grow cells more naturally

The usual way of cultivating cells is to use a flat laboratory dish of glass. However, inside a human body, the cells do not grow on a flat surface, but rather in three dimensions. This has lead researchers at Lund University in Sweden to develop a porous "spaghetti" of tissue-friendly polymers with cavities in which the cells can develop in a more natural way.

27 Mar 2017

Researchers use animal model to study brain abnormality in human TD patients

Thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) is an intractable disease designated by Ministry of Welfare, Health and Labor of Japan, causing severe abnormalities of bones and the brain.

17 Mar 2017

Duke researchers discover potential cause for ALS syndromes using mouse models

A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center led by Dr. Paulo Ferreira and whose work was supported by the National Institutes of Health has found that derailing the transport of certain receptors that carry cargoes from and to the nucleus of motor neurons causes motor neuron disease in mice.

1 Mar 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers find no evidence of CMV in aggressive brain cancer tissues

In a rigorous study of tumor tissue collected from 125 patients with aggressive brain cancers, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found no evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and conclude that a link between the two diseases, as claimed by earlier reports, likely does not exist.

1 Mar 2017

UTMB researchers unravel mystery of how Zika virus causes birth defects

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered the mechanisms that the Zika virus uses to alter brain development. These findings are detailed in Stem Cell Reports.

17 Feb 2017

Neurotrophic factor GDNF regulates dopamine neurons in the brain, research shows

New research results are expanding our understanding of the physiological role of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor GDNF in the function of the brain's dopamine systems.

15 Feb 2017

Could pathogen infection really lead to Alzheimer’s?

New concepts of infectious disease are evolving with the realization that pathogens are key players in the development of progressive chronic diseases that originally were not thought to be infectious. Infection is well-known to be associated with numerous neurological diseases for which...

12 Jan 2017

Sirt1 plays key role in regenerating glial progenitor cells after hypoxia-induced brain injury in preemies

Developing brains in newborns have a sizable pool of a certain type of immature progenitor cell that can be expanded and induced to replace cells lost to brain injury.

19 Dec 2016

Researchers pinpoint mechanism underlying astrocyte-mediated recovery of brain tissue after injury

A Kobe University research team has pinpointed the mechanism underlying astrocyte-mediated restoration of brain tissue after an injury. This could lead to new treatments that encourage regeneration by limiting damage to neurons incurred by reduced blood supply or trauma.

15 Dec 2016

Tumour cell of origin in childhood malignant glioma impacts susceptibility to cancer therapy

Children that are diagnosed with the severe the brain tumour malignant glioma often have a very poor prognosis. Knowledge about how pediatric malignant glioma arises and develops is still limited.

17 Nov 2016

New review highlights promises and challenges of nanotechnology in neuroscience

Despite the numerous challenges associated with the application of nanotechnology in neuroscience, it promises to have a significant impact on our understanding of how the nervous system works, how it fails in disease, and the development of earlier and less-invasive diagnostic procedures so we can intervene in the pre-clinical stage of neurological disease before extensive neurological damage has taken place.

2 Nov 2016