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Severe cases of polio-like illness observed among children in many countries

In Germany in the summer and autumn of 2016, several cases of illness in children were observed that were accompanied by acute flaccid paralysis.

8 Sep 2017

Neuroscientists discover new signaling pathway that could be good drug target to fight chronic pain

Researchers have discovered a new pain-signaling pathway in nerve cells that eventually could make a good target for new drugs to fight chronic pain.

8 Sep 2017

Scientists directly convert skin cells from healthy adults into motor neurons

Scientists working to develop new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases have been stymied by the inability to grow human motor neurons in the lab. Motor neurons drive muscle contractions, and their damage underlies devastating diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy, both of which ultimately lead to paralysis and early death.

7 Sep 2017

Duke neuroscientists pinpoint one powerful cell that serves as ‘master controller’ of habits

Some habits are helpful, such as automatically washing your hands before a meal or driving the same route to work every day. They accomplish an important task while freeing up valuable brain space.

7 Sep 2017

Heparin promotes food intake and body weight gain in animal models

Heparin is a medication widely used to prevent blood clotting; it is named after and mimics the naturally occurring anticoagulant in the body.

6 Sep 2017

Biodegradable nanoparticle injected after spinal cord injury limits damage

After a spinal cord injury, a significant amount of secondary nerve damage is caused by inflammation and internal scarring that inhibits the ability of the nervous system to repair itself.

5 Sep 2017

Disruption of 'slow waves' can lead to cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s in mice

While unconscious during deep sleep, millions of neurons' activity travels across the cerebral cortex. This phenomenon, known as slow waves, is related to the consolidation of memory.

5 Sep 2017

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