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Researchers propose mechanism by which ASTN2 protein defects lead to brain disorders

In the brain, as in business, connections are everything. To maintain cellular associates, the outer surface of a neuron, its membrane, must express particular proteins--proverbial hands that reach out and greet nearby cells. And, like a creepily long handshake, surface molecules can overstay their welcome: A protein that lingers too long on the membrane may compromise the connections, or synapses, between cells.

24 Sep 2018

Brown researchers understand neural mechanisms behind contextual phenomena

Optical illusions can be fun to experience and debate, but understanding how human brains perceive these different phenomena remains an active area of scientific research.

24 Sep 2018

Researchers use neutrons to make first direct observations of water in lipid bilayers

New 3D maps of water distribution during cellular membrane fusion are accelerating scientific understanding of cell development, which could lead to new treatments for diseases associated with cell fusion.

21 Sep 2018

Study: Neural signal that urges to eat overpowers the one that says to stop

Almost everyone knows the feeling. You're at a restaurant or a holiday meal, and your stomach is telling you it's full, so logically you know you should stop eating.

21 Sep 2018

Sea squirt model reveals key molecules in dopaminergic neuron differentiation

The human brain is exceedingly complex, consisting of various regions with particular functions and approximately 100 billion neurons. This complexity has presented a major challenge in understanding this organ and how it develops, particularly in view of the ethical issues associated with research on humans.

20 Sep 2018

Neurons in the human brain can encode numerical information

How do we know if we're looking at three apples or four? Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Tübingen are now one step closer to answering this question.

20 Sep 2018

Neuroscientists identify circuit for brain's statistical inference about motion

As the eye tracks a bird flying past, the muscles that pan the eyeballs to keep the target in focus set their pace not only on the speed they see, but also on a reasonable estimate of the speed they expect from having watched birds before.

18 Sep 2018

New research aims to engineer neural network from living cells

Will the computers of tomorrow be manufactured, or will they be cultivated? This question lies at the heart of new research from Lehigh University that aims to engineer a neural network--a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system--from actual living cells, and program it to compute a basic learning task.

14 Sep 2018

Breakthrough shows immune cells may play a role in schizophrenia

A type of immune cell called the “macrophages” are known to be one of the first soldiers of the body that can fight off infections and plays a role in maintaining immunity and in inflammation. According to latest research in schizophrenia, these macrophages can become altered and may cause changes in the brain leading to changes in the brain similar to schizophrenia.

14 Sep 2018

New night vision mechanism related to motion detected

When lights are dim or absent, animals tend to use their night vision to adjust to the low light and visualize their path and their prey. They need this to escape predators and protecting themselves. The little amounts of photons available are picked up by the eyes to detect what lies in front of them.

14 Sep 2018

ADHD patients have increased risk of developing Parkinson's and other similar diseases

While about 11 percent of children (4-17 years old) nationwide have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the long-term health effects of having ADHD and of common ADHD medications remains understudied.

12 Sep 2018

Study uncovers four neuron types in the peripheral auditory system

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified four types of neurons in the peripheral auditory system, three of which are new to science.

12 Sep 2018

NSF awards funding to cross-disciplinary projects to conduct research on neural and cognitive systems

The National Science Foundation has awarded funding to 18 cross-disciplinary projects to conduct innovative research on neural and cognitive systems.

12 Sep 2018

Penn receives NIH grant to create Center for Sub-Cellular Genomics

The five-year, $10.5 million grant from the NIH is the first CEGS awarded to Penn and funds the creation of the Center for Sub-Cellular Genomics.

12 Sep 2018

Researchers unravel how Zika virus manipulates the human immune system

Macrophages are immune cells that are supposed to protect the body from infection by viruses and bacteria. Yet Zika virus preferentially infects these cells. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have now unraveled how the virus shuts down the genes that make macrophages function as immune cells.

11 Sep 2018

Stress can permanently and profoundly impact connectivity of developing nerves

Scientists stunted the puberty of male worms by starving them before they underwent sexual maturation. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, the scientists suggested that stress from starvation even days before sexual maturation prevented normal changes in the wiring patterns of key neuronal circuits, which caused adult male worms to act immature.

7 Sep 2018

Researchers use virtual reality goggles to study human anatomy

Tucked away in the back room of a Johns Hopkins research building, a computer hums quietly at a seemingly modest setup of a desktop and a pair of goggles.

6 Sep 2018

Neurons play active role in triggering a defense mechanism that leads to their own damage

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare autoimmune disease that primarily affects children and can lead to seizures.

31 Aug 2018

Researchers discover materials which form new presynapses for release of transmitters

Synapses are the interfaces for information exchange between neurons. Teams of scientists working with Professor Dr. Volker Haucke, Director at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie and Professor at the Freie Universitaet Berlin, and Professor Dr. Stephan Sigrist at the Freie Universität Berlin discovered the materials, which form new presynapses for the release of transmitters. The findings may help to design better nerve-regenerating therapies in the future.

31 Aug 2018

Dendritic learning occurs much faster and in closer proximity to neurons, shows study

The brain is a complex network containing many billions of neurons. Each neuron is connected to thousands of others via links (synapses) which can be strong or weak.

30 Aug 2018

Neuron News and Research

Researchers propose mechanism by which ASTN2 protein defects lead to brain disorders

Brown researchers understand neural mechanisms behind contextual phenomena

Researchers use neutrons to make first direct observations of water in lipid bilayers

Study: Neural signal that urges to eat overpowers the one that says to stop

Sea squirt model reveals key molecules in dopaminergic neuron differentiation

Neurons in the human brain can encode numerical information

Neuroscientists identify circuit for brain's statistical inference about motion

New research aims to engineer neural network from living cells

Breakthrough shows immune cells may play a role in schizophrenia

New night vision mechanism related to motion detected

ADHD patients have increased risk of developing Parkinson's and other similar diseases

Study uncovers four neuron types in the peripheral auditory system

NSF awards funding to cross-disciplinary projects to conduct research on neural and cognitive systems

Penn receives NIH grant to create Center for Sub-Cellular Genomics

Researchers unravel how Zika virus manipulates the human immune system

Stress can permanently and profoundly impact connectivity of developing nerves

Researchers use virtual reality goggles to study human anatomy

Neurons play active role in triggering a defense mechanism that leads to their own damage

Researchers discover materials which form new presynapses for release of transmitters

Dendritic learning occurs much faster and in closer proximity to neurons, shows study

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