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New technology allows researchers to temporarily shut down brain area to better understand function

Capitalizing on experimental genetic techniques, researchers at the California National Primate Research Center, or CNPRC, at the University of California, Davis, have demonstrated that temporarily turning off an area of the brain changes patterns of activity across much of the remaining brain.

22 Jul 2016

Study shows motor cortices encode error signals that drive adaptation in reaching

Adaptation in reaching -- gradual improvement of motor control in response to a perturbation -- is a central issue in motor neuroscience.However, even the cortical origin of errors that drive adaptation has remained elusive.

22 Jul 2016

Scientists demonstrate synapses between specific neuron types form clusters

The cerebral cortex resembles a vast switchboard. Countless lines carrying information about the environment, for example from the sensory organs, converge in the cerebral cortex.

21 Jul 2016

Researchers identify how sensory nerve receptors work together to transmit itch signals

Researchers have found how sensory nerve cells work together to transmit itch signals from the skin to the spinal cord, where neurons then carry those signals to the brain. Their discovery may help scientists find more effective ways to make itching stop.

20 Jul 2016

Researchers discover novel neuroprotection strategies to slow progression of Parkinson's disease

Using a robust model for Parkinson's disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers and colleagues have discovered an interaction in neurons that contributes to Parkinson's disease, and they have shown that drugs now under development may block the process.

20 Jul 2016

New research shows how toxic Alzheimer's protein spreads through the brain

A toxic Alzheimer's protein can spread through the brain--jumping from one neuron to another--via the extracellular space that surrounds the brain's neurons, suggests new research from Columbia University Medical Center.

19 Jul 2016

Study shows parvalbumin-interneurons in the amygdala influence fear memory encoding

Fear memory encoding, the process responsible for persistent reactions to trauma-associated cues, is influenced by a sparse but potent population of inhibitory cells called parvalbumin-interneurons (PV-INs) in the amygdala, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published online July 14 in the journal Neuron.

14 Jul 2016

Scientists identify timing of major metabolic shift in developing neurons

Our brains can survive only for a few minutes without oxygen. Salk Institute researchers have now identified the timing of a dramatic metabolic shift in developing neurons, which makes them become dependent on oxygen as a source of energy.

13 Jul 2016

Neuroscientists identify two distinct populations of dopamine neurons involved in movement, reward

Two Northwestern University neuroscientists have identified the neurochemical signal likely missing in Parkinson's disease by being the first to discover two distinctly different kinds of neurons that deliver dopamine to an important brain region responsible for both movement and learning/reward behavior.

12 Jul 2016

Study shows miR-19 helps new neurons in the adult brain stay on track

A small stretch of ribonucleic acid called microRNA could make the difference between a healthy adult brain and one that's prone to disorders including schizophrenia.

8 Jul 2016

Scientists use stem cell techniques to unravel biology of autism

The brains of some people with autism spectrum disorder grow faster than usual early on in life, often before diagnosis.

8 Jul 2016

Activation of D2 neurons may help decrease alcohol consumption, research shows

By activating particular neurons, we may be able to influence alcohol drinking behavior, according to new findings published by researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

7 Jul 2016

Scientists discover key cellular mechanism behind side-effects of antipsychotics

Since their development in the 1950s, antipsychotic drugs have been widely used to treat psychoses and neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. A debilitating side-effect of these drugs called parkinsonism limits their efficacy.

7 Jul 2016

AMPK protein activated during fasting regulates hunger neurons in the brain

Neurons in the brain that control hunger are regulated by AMPK, a protein activated during fasting, report researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Neuron on July 6, 2016.

6 Jul 2016

Tiny micro-vesicle structures may help predict probability of developing Alzheimer's dementia

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine say tiny micro-vesicle structures used by neurons and other cells to transport materials internally or dispose of them externally carry tell-tale proteins that may help to predict the likelihood of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) developing into full-blown Alzheimer's disease (AD).

6 Jul 2016

Neuroscientists map neural connections over long distances in the brain

A team of neuroscientists at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Lisbon, has been able to map single neural connections over long distances in the brain.

4 Jul 2016

Scientists reveal how new adult-born neurons evolve in olfactory bulb of mice

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS were able to make real-time observations over a period of several months that reveal how new adult-born neurons are formed and evolve in the olfactory bulb of mice.

4 Jul 2016

Mice studies reveal new insights into neurons that cause symptoms of Rett syndrome

Two studies in mice from Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, reveal new insights into neurons that mediate symptoms typical of the postnatal neurological disorder Rett syndrome.

29 Jun 2016

Researchers develop new technology to capture images of the brain

In a partnership melding neuroscience and electrical engineering, researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University have developed a new technology that will allow neuroscientists to capture images of the brain almost 10 times larger than previously possible - helping them better understand the behavior of neurons in the brain.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists discover link between two genes involved in PD and autoimmune diseases

A study publish in the journal CELL indicates that two genes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) are key regulators of the immune system, providing direct evidence linking Parkinson's to autoimmune disease.

27 Jun 2016