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Stem cell treatment helps improve motor functions, nervous system conditions in mice with ALS

Researchers at the University of South Florida show in a new study that bone marrow stem cell transplants helped improve motor functions and nervous system conditions in mice with the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by repairing damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier.

15 May 2017

Scientists use new RNA sequencing and statistical techniques to track stem cells in the nose

Adult stem cells have the ability to transform into many types of cells, but tracing the path individual stem cells follow as they mature and identifying the molecules that trigger these fateful decisions are difficult in a living animal.

12 May 2017

Researchers identify brain cells that drive fruit flies’ food choices based on nutrition needs

Using fruit flies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a specific and very small set of brain cells -- dubbed dopamine wedge neurons -- responsible for driving the insects' food preferences toward what they need, rather than what they like.

10 May 2017

Novel signal-processing tool enables unbiased, data-driven analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations

Vocalization plays a significant role in social communication across species such as speech by humans and song by birds. Male mice produce ultrasonic vocalizations in the presence of females and both sexes sing during friendly social encounters.

5 May 2017

Study reveals critical role of omega-3 fatty acids in preserving integrity of the blood-brain barrier

Already extolled for their health benefits as a food compound, omega-3 fatty acids now appear to also play a critical role in preserving the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which protects the central nervous system from blood-borne bacteria, toxins and other pathogens, according to new research from Harvard Medical School.

5 May 2017

Easing cellular traffic jams in Huntington’s disease may save brain cells

Working with mouse, fly and human cells and tissue, Johns Hopkins researchers report new evidence that disruptions in the movement of cellular materials in and out of a cell's control center - the nucleus- appear to be a direct cause of brain cell death in Huntington's disease, an inherited adult neurodegenerative disorder.

5 May 2017

Discovery of signaling pathway offers new functional framework for treating schizophrenia

Neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a new signaling pathway that directly connects two major receptors in the brain associated with learning and memory – the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAChR) – which has significance for current efforts to develop drugs to treat schizophrenia.

4 May 2017

Detailed images reveal how regulatory proteins affect function of brain receptors

Scientists at Columbia University have obtained the first detailed images of interactions between the AMPA receptor and molecules that regulate chemical signaling in the brain.

3 May 2017

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Scientists report in Neuron the lost function of two genes prevents infant laboratory mice from developing motor skills as they mature into adults. Researchers also suggest in their study that people with certain motor development disabilities be tested to see if they have mutant forms of the same genes.

3 May 2017

Researchers uncover new potential target for treating spinal muscular atrophy

Though spinal muscular atrophy in its most severe form remains incurable and fatal in early childhood, researchers are sustaining a multipronged counterattack for patients and their families. The first treatment for the disease gained U.S. market approval in December.

2 May 2017

Researchers create new tool that reveals insights into cellular development

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have created a new tool to describe the many possible ways in which a cell may develop. Rooted in the mathematical field of topology, the tool provides a roadmap that offers detailed insight into how stem cells give rise to specialized cells.

2 May 2017

Powerful pain medicine may help reduce vision damage of glaucoma

The tip of our optic nerve is typically the first place injured by glaucoma. Now researchers want to know if the powerful pain medicine (+)-pentazocine can help avoid the damage.

2 May 2017

Newly discovered molecule plays central role in appetite control mechanisms

A newly discovered molecule increases appetite during fasting -- and decreases it during gorging. The neuron-exciting protein, named NPGL - apparently aims to maintain body mass at a constant, come feast or famine. An evolutionary masterstroke, but not great news for those looking to trim down -- or beef up for the summer.

28 Apr 2017

New software wrapper boosts ability of existing neuron tracing algorithms

Putting a turbo engine into an old car gives it an entirely new life--suddenly it can go further, faster. That same idea is now being applied to neuroscience, with a software wrapper that can be used on existing neuron tracing algorithms to boost their ability to handle not just big, but enormous sets of data

27 Apr 2017

Study provides new understanding of molecular mechanisms that impact intellectual disability

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that a protein helps balance nerve cell communication.

25 Apr 2017

Caltech researchers discover brain region that judges intensity, ambiguity of facial expressions

Have you ever thought someone was angry at you, but it turned out you were just misreading their facial expression? Caltech researchers have now discovered that one specific region of the brain, called the amygdala, is involved in making these (sometimes inaccurate) judgments about ambiguous or intense emotions.

25 Apr 2017

Neurobiologists use skin stem cells to generate new microglia

Using human skin cells, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and their colleagues have created a method to generate one of the principle cell types of the brain called microglia, which play a key role in preserving the function of neural networks and responding to injury and disease.

25 Apr 2017

Synchronized voltage rhythms in SCN could play role in maintaining the body’s circadian clock

Cells in the brain's master circadian clock synchronize voltage rhythms despite asynchronous calcium rhythms, which might explain how a tissue-wide rhythm is maintained.

24 Apr 2017

Positive CHMP opinion recognizes efficacy of Biogen’s SPINRAZA for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Biogen today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for SPINRAZA to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

21 Apr 2017

UCLA research overturns paradigm about how axons grow during embryonic development

New research by scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA overturns a long-standing paradigm about how axons -- thread-like projections that connect cells in the nervous system -- grow during embryonic development.

21 Apr 2017

Neuron News and Research

Stem cell treatment helps improve motor functions, nervous system conditions in mice with ALS

Scientists use new RNA sequencing and statistical techniques to track stem cells in the nose

Researchers identify brain cells that drive fruit flies’ food choices based on nutrition needs

Novel signal-processing tool enables unbiased, data-driven analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations

Study reveals critical role of omega-3 fatty acids in preserving integrity of the blood-brain barrier

Easing cellular traffic jams in Huntington’s disease may save brain cells

Discovery of signaling pathway offers new functional framework for treating schizophrenia

Detailed images reveal how regulatory proteins affect function of brain receptors

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Researchers uncover new potential target for treating spinal muscular atrophy

Researchers create new tool that reveals insights into cellular development

Powerful pain medicine may help reduce vision damage of glaucoma

Newly discovered molecule plays central role in appetite control mechanisms

New software wrapper boosts ability of existing neuron tracing algorithms

Study provides new understanding of molecular mechanisms that impact intellectual disability

Caltech researchers discover brain region that judges intensity, ambiguity of facial expressions

Neurobiologists use skin stem cells to generate new microglia

Synchronized voltage rhythms in SCN could play role in maintaining the body’s circadian clock

Positive CHMP opinion recognizes efficacy of Biogen’s SPINRAZA for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

UCLA research overturns paradigm about how axons grow during embryonic development

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

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