Optogenetics News and Research

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Researchers identify neural pathways that underlie hunger-induced changes in taste preferences

Why does everything taste better when we're hungry? According to new findings from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan, not only does food taste sweeter when our stomachs are rumbling, but bitter food also becomes less difficult to eat--and both effects are moderated by a neural circuit in the hypothalamus.

16 Oct 2019

Harvard University receives $20 million gift to establish new center for autism research

Autism and related disorders-a constellation of neurodevelopmental conditions affecting one in 59 children in the United States alone - have become one of modern medicine's most confounding mysteries.

11 Oct 2019

Scientists find a link between brain’s emotion circuit and movement

The brain is a powerful organ that controls all the body processes, including movement. In some athletes, however, they usually experience a phenomenon called “choking,” wherein their performance rapidly declines when they’re under a lot of pressure.

11 Sep 2019

Study offers hope for people suffering from chronic pain

When you experience severe pain, like breaking or shattering a bone, the pain isn't just felt at the sight of the injury.

9 Sep 2019

Inhibitory inputs to neurons in the visual cortex are more diverse than previously thought

Neurons are complex, highly connected cells engaged with multiple networks throughout the brain, and they exhibit a wide range of activity.

6 Sep 2019

Discovery of second gene responsible natural short-sleep

Sleep is a crucial part of human health. Piling up a chronic sleep debt by consistently sleeping less than is needed for a fully rested feeling causes a number of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and autoimmune conditions.

1 Sep 2019

New optical technology heralds exciting potential for mammalian behavioral studies

In an article published in the peer-reviewed, open-access SPIE publication Neurophotonics, "A multi-site microLED optrode array for neural interfacing," researchers present an implantable optrode array capable of exciting below-surface neurons in large mammal brains at two levels, both by structured-light delivery and large-volume illumination.

29 Aug 2019

UC San Francisco scientists identify second 'short sleep' gene after 10-year search

After a decade of searching, the UC San Francisco scientists who identified the only human gene known to promote "natural short sleep" -- lifelong, nightly sleep that lasts just four to six hours yet leaves individuals feeling fully rested -- have discovered a second.

28 Aug 2019

$1.5 million grant from BRAIN Initiative will help develop new tools to study astrocytes

In the brain, cells called astrocytes are at least as abundant as neurons, but are much less understood.

27 Aug 2019

Researchers discover how stress can decrease the desire to eat

Eating disorder researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have discovered a neurocircuit in mice that, when activated, increased their stress levels while decreasing their desire to eat. Findings appear in Nature Communications.

18 Aug 2019

Scientists reverse social traits associated with autism in mouse model

Research has been ongoing in the field of genetic mutations and changes and brain and other neural disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and a new study in mice models of autism has shown a possible link between mutations or deletions of the SHANK3 gene and a rare disorder called Phelan-McDermid syndrome and ASD.

29 Jul 2019

Study provides clues to neural circuits underlying social deficits linked to ASD

Although psychiatric disorders can be linked to particular genes, the brain regions and mechanisms underlying particular disorders are not well-understood.

26 Jul 2019

Pitt wins $6 million grant to develop cortical vision research program

The University of Pittsburgh received a $6 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support the development of a cortical vision research program in the Pitt School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology.

16 Jul 2019

EMBL study reveals uncoupling between chromatin topology and gene expression

Molecular biologists long thought that domains in the genome’s 3D organization control how genes are expressed.

16 Jul 2019

Neuroscientists control visual behavior of a mouse with single-cell precision

For the first time, a team of neuroscientists from Columbia University have controlled a visual behavior of a mouse by activating a few neurons in its visual cortex.

4 Jul 2019

Researchers attempt to solve PTSD puzzle

A team of Penn State and University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine researchers is attempting to answer a question that has long puzzled experts: Why do some individuals suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing trauma, and others do not?

29 Jun 2019

Optogenetics News and Research

Researchers identify neural pathways that underlie hunger-induced changes in taste preferences

Harvard University receives $20 million gift to establish new center for autism research

Scientists find a link between brain’s emotion circuit and movement

Study offers hope for people suffering from chronic pain

Inhibitory inputs to neurons in the visual cortex are more diverse than previously thought

Discovery of second gene responsible natural short-sleep

New optical technology heralds exciting potential for mammalian behavioral studies

UC San Francisco scientists identify second 'short sleep' gene after 10-year search

$1.5 million grant from BRAIN Initiative will help develop new tools to study astrocytes

Researchers discover how stress can decrease the desire to eat

Scientists reverse social traits associated with autism in mouse model

Study provides clues to neural circuits underlying social deficits linked to ASD

Pitt wins $6 million grant to develop cortical vision research program

EMBL study reveals uncoupling between chromatin topology and gene expression

Neuroscientists control visual behavior of a mouse with single-cell precision

Researchers attempt to solve PTSD puzzle

New study may explain distinct speech processing functions of left and right brain

Researchers develop new system that creates 'virtual taste realities'

Study: Melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in hypothalamus increase REM sleep

Small cluster of neurons in mouse's brain are crucial to making squeaky, ultrasonic 'songs'

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