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Study identifies novel source for brain's development

A study conducted by a team of researchers at the New York University has found an unexpected source for the development of the brain. According to the research, which was published in the journal Science, a group of non-neuronal cells called glia, which were previously considered as passive support cells, are important for the development of nerve-cells present in the brain.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists identify key molecule for neurotransmitter release in synapses

The contact areas between nerve cells are called synapses. What happens there lies at the heart of communication between nerve cells. Communication starts with the release of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters at these synapses.

4 Sep 2017

Viral RNAs make use of cell's transportation system, study finds

Flaviviruses are a significant threat to public health worldwide, and some infected patients develop severe -- potentially fatal -- neurological diseases.

1 Sep 2017

Biologists unlock key elements behind animal kinship attachments

A baby lamb is separated from its family. Somehow, in vast herds of sheep that look virtually identical, the lost youngling locates its kin. Salmon swim out to the vast expanses of the sea and migrate back home to their precise spawning grounds with bewildering accuracy.

1 Sep 2017

NYU researchers discover unexpected source for the brain's development

A team of biologists has found an unexpected source for the brain's development, a finding that offers new insights into the building of the nervous system.

31 Aug 2017

Scientists succeed in teaching robots to perform challenging brain technique

Whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, or whole-cell recording (WCR), is the gold-standard technique for studying the behaviour of brain cells called neurons under different brain states such as stress or learning.

31 Aug 2017

Reprogrammed stem cell therapy shows promise in Parkinson's

Japanese investigators have found that their experimental stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease actually works. In their experimental therapy, the team of researchers “reprogrammed” stem cells to make them neurons and implanted them into the brain of monkeys with a version of Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell therapy showed improvement of symptoms in these patients and was found to be safe. The study was published yesterday, 30th August 2017 in Nature.

30 Aug 2017

MIT engineers devise automated approach to monitor neurons

Recording electrical signals from inside a neuron in the living brain can reveal a great deal of information about that neuron's function and how it coordinates with other cells in the brain.

30 Aug 2017

Two distinct brain regions involve in decision-making process, research shows

Often when we make a decision, we calculate its "expected value," by multiplying the value of something (how much we want or need it) with the probability that we might be able to obtain it, a concept first introduced by 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal.

30 Aug 2017

Research findings potentially open door to new treatments for eye trauma and retinal disease

Cells within an injured mouse eye can be coaxed into regenerating neurons and those new neurons appear to integrate themselves into the eye's circuitry, new research shows. The findings potentially open the door to new treatments for eye trauma and retinal disease.

28 Aug 2017

New drug shows promising results for treating spinal muscular atrophy

A drug developed by an Iowa State University biomedical researcher as a potential treatment for spinal muscular atrophy showed promising results in a recently published study.

26 Aug 2017

Research reveals underlying reason for intense pain in patients with shingles

Chickenpox is a typical childhood illness. In most cases, it is benign, and the symptoms disappear within ten days. However, its causative agent, Varicella zoster virus (VZV), remains in the organism forever. In some cases, the virus can be reactivated years later, causing a different disease known as herpes zoster, or shingles.

24 Aug 2017

Neuronal firing patterns influence proliferation, differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors

Through their pattern of firing, neurons influence the behavior of the cells that upon maturation will provide insulation of neuronal axons, according to a new study publishing 22 August in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Balint Nagy, Maria Kukley and colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

23 Aug 2017

Researchers identify control mechanisms of synapse formation

DGIST announced that the research team of Professor Ko Jae-won at the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences and the research team of Professor Kim Ho-min at KAIST conducted a joint research and observed the three-dimensional structure of proteins that regulate neuronal cell connections for the first time in the world and have identified the control mechanisms of synapse formation.

21 Aug 2017

Scientists identify basic biological mechanism that kills neurons in ALS

A team led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Mayo Clinic has identified a basic biological mechanism that kills neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in a related genetic disorder, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), found in some ALS patients.

16 Aug 2017

Dementia and low brain serotonin may be linked: Study finds

Johns Hopkins researchers looked into the brain scans of persons with mild loss of thought and memory and have found that they have significantly low levels of serotonin in their brains. Serotonin is a natural brain chemical that is responsible for several functions including mood, sleep and appetite and also is important for several mental health conditions.

14 Aug 2017

Brain scans reveal lower serotonin transporters in people with mild cognitive impairment

In a study looking at brain scans of people with mild loss of thought and memory ability, Johns Hopkins researchers report evidence of lower levels of the serotonin transporter -- a natural brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and appetite.

14 Aug 2017

Scientists map learning and memory center of fruit fly larva brain

A Johns Hopkins University mathematician and computer scientist joined an international team of neuroscientists to create a complete map of the learning and memory center of the fruit fly larva brain, an early step toward mapping how all animal brains work.

11 Aug 2017

Scientists create stem cell-based model of rare inherited neurological condition

An international team of scientists, led by University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has created a human stem cell-based model of a rare, but devastating, inherited neurological autoimmune condition called Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome (AGS).

11 Aug 2017

Researchers unravel genetic characteristics that increase risk of developing Tourette syndrome

An international research team including Vasiliy Ramensky, a member of the MIPT Life Sciences Center, has unraveled genetic characteristics that increase the risk of developing Tourette syndrome.

10 Aug 2017