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Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Humans are diurnal animals, meaning that we usually sleep at night and are awake during the day, due at least in part to light or the lack thereof. Light is known to affect sleep indirectly by entraining--modifying the length of--our circadian rhythms and also rapidly and directly due to a phenomenon known as masking.

23 Jun 2017

Researchers identify first definitive risk genes for Tourette Syndrome

An international team that just conducted the largest study of Tourette Syndrome has identified genetic abnormalities that are the first definitive risk genes for the disorder.

23 Jun 2017

Memories stored in same neuron can be selectively erased, study suggests

Different types of memories stored in the same neuron of the marine snail Aplysia can be selectively erased, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and McGill University and published today in Current Biology.

22 Jun 2017

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

A study by a group of Japanese scientists showed how a male pheromone in mice enhances sexual behaviors in females--and how it may enhance a different behavior, aggression, in males -- by identifying distinct neural circuits and neurons that generate a particular behavioral response to specific chemical signals.

22 Jun 2017

Scientists discover biological fingerprint in children with tuberculosis meningitis

Children with tuberculosis meningitis - a brain and spinal cord infection that leads to disability and death -- have a biological fingerprint that can be used to assess the severity of the condition, help decide the best course of treatment, and provide clues for novel treatments, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London and the University of Cape Town reveal.

21 Jun 2017

Study identifies structural changes in genes that increase risk of Tourette syndrome

Researchers have identified structural changes in two genes that increase the risk of developing Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary motor and vocal tics.

21 Jun 2017

Researchers identify new disease gene for early-onset axonal neuropathy and mild intellectual disability

Research group from the University of Helsinki, Finland, has identified a new disease gene for early-onset axonal neuropathy and mild intellectual disability through an international research network, which was brought together by "Tinder for geneticists".

20 Jun 2017

Neurofilaments can help in ALS diagnosis

Researchers at VIB, KU Leuven, and UZ Leuven, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Jena, have demonstrated that measuring neurofilaments provides reliable confirmation of an ALS diagnosis.

19 Jun 2017

Long-distance brain connections can target, stimulate discrete pools of stem cells

Stem cells persist in the adult mammalian brain and generate new neurons throughout life. A research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel reports in the current issue of "Science" that long-distance brain connections can target discrete pools of stem cells in their niche and stimulate them to divide and produce specific subtypes of olfactory bulb neurons

16 Jun 2017

Research suggests how malformed proteins linked to Parkinson’s could spread from the gut to the brain

Recent research on Parkinson's disease has focused on the gut-brain connection, examining patients' gut bacteria, and even how severing the vagus nerve connecting the stomach and brain might protect some people from the debilitating disease.

15 Jun 2017

Study reveals early indication of Alzheimer’s in adults with normal cognition

A new study led by the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California (USC) reveals that older adults with elevated levels of brain-clogging plaques, yet normal cognition, experience faster mental decline, suggestive of Alzheimer's disease. The study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on June 13 presented the earliest precursor—the toxic and sticky protein as part of the disease, before symptoms arise.

15 Jun 2017

Scientists show how brain circuits govern hunger and cravings

The urge to satisfy hunger is a primal one, but – as any dieter knows – choices about when and what to eat can be influenced by cues in the environment, not just how long it's been since breakfast.

14 Jun 2017

Study shows how RNA splicing errors may trigger development of ALS, FTD

The most frequent genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)- rare and related neurological disorders marked by progressive deterioration of motor or cognitive abilities- may be due to errors in RNA splicing, an intermediary step for translating genetic instructions into functional proteins.

14 Jun 2017

Research shows how morphological changes in the brain help shape the human connectome

Exactly when and where individual neurons develop is as important to our understanding of brain diseases as the underlying genetics, experts have shown.

14 Jun 2017

Molecule may play role in helping maintain balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons

Many neurological diseases are malfunctions of synapses, or the points of contact between neurons that allow senses and other information to pass from finger to brain.

13 Jun 2017

Study examines how sex alters time-course of inflammation in the brain after TBI

Male mice have much greater brain distress in the week following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than female mice, including skyrocketing inflammation and nerve cell death, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.

13 Jun 2017

Salk researchers analyze how neurons in the brain respond to natural scenes

If you think self-driving cars can't get here soon enough, you're not alone. But programming computers to recognize objects is very technically challenging, especially since scientists don't fully understand how our own brains do it.

9 Jun 2017

Smarter algorithms could lead to greater understanding of the brain's true complexity

The human brain naturally makes its best guess when making a decision, and studying those guesses can be very revealing about the brain's inner workings.

9 Jun 2017

Research reveals link between POMC neurons and release of insulin by the pancreas

The brain is key in the regulation of appetite, body weight and metabolism. Specifically, there is a small group of hypothalamus neurons, called POMC, that detect and integrate signals that inform on the energy state of the organism and activate the appropriate physiological responses.

8 Jun 2017

Salk scientist uses mathematical framework to better understand how cell types divide work

Despite advances in neuroscience, the brain is still very much a black box--no one even knows how many different types of neurons exist.

7 Jun 2017

Neuron News and Research

Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Researchers identify first definitive risk genes for Tourette Syndrome

Memories stored in same neuron can be selectively erased, study suggests

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

Scientists discover biological fingerprint in children with tuberculosis meningitis

Study identifies structural changes in genes that increase risk of Tourette syndrome

Researchers identify new disease gene for early-onset axonal neuropathy and mild intellectual disability

Neurofilaments can help in ALS diagnosis

Long-distance brain connections can target, stimulate discrete pools of stem cells

Research suggests how malformed proteins linked to Parkinson’s could spread from the gut to the brain

Study reveals early indication of Alzheimer’s in adults with normal cognition

Scientists show how brain circuits govern hunger and cravings

Study shows how RNA splicing errors may trigger development of ALS, FTD

Research shows how morphological changes in the brain help shape the human connectome

Molecule may play role in helping maintain balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons

Study examines how sex alters time-course of inflammation in the brain after TBI

Salk researchers analyze how neurons in the brain respond to natural scenes

Smarter algorithms could lead to greater understanding of the brain's true complexity

Research reveals link between POMC neurons and release of insulin by the pancreas

Salk scientist uses mathematical framework to better understand how cell types divide work

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