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Supplementing diet with amino acid delays signs of ALS in animal study

The addition of dietary L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for formation of proteins and nerve cells, delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an animal study.

24 Feb 2020

Researchers discover glial cells that control stress response, extend lifespan in worms

While many of us worry about proteins aggregating in our brains as we age and potentially causing Alzheimer's disease or other types of neurodegeneration, we may not realize that some of the same proteins are aggregating in our muscles, setting us up for muscle atrophy in old age.

23 Feb 2020

New eye scan could aid in early detection of autism

A new eye scan could help identify autism in children years earlier than currently possible.

21 Feb 2020

An enriched environment helps heal young, injured brains

An enriched environment--with increased opportunities for physical activity, socialization and exploring novel stimuli--helped lessen functional, anatomical and cellular deficits in an experimental model of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation at birth.

19 Feb 2020

New understanding of neurovascular coupling

A new study published in the journal Nature in February 2020 reports the discovery of a control mechanism in mouse brains, which makes it possible to sensitively regulate the flow of blood to different areas of the brain, to supply enough to more active areas.

19 Feb 2020

Study uses MRI to probe non-invasively inside a living brain

The wiring network of the brain is made up of billions of nerve fibers called axons. The thickness of axons - together with other properties - significantly impacts the way in which they conduct neural signals, and therefore the overall processing speed of connected neurons and brain areas.

18 Feb 2020

NUS researchers identify new protein to prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

A team of researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has identified a novel protein that would prevent the development of neuropathy in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy.

18 Feb 2020

Research suggests new approach to block tau pathology in FTLD, Alzheimer's

The protein β-arrestin-2 increases the accumulation of neurotoxic tau tangles, a cause several forms of dementia, by interfering with removal of excess tau from the brain, a new study by the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine found.

17 Feb 2020

Fragile X syndrome-causing repeats help human neurons function, study finds

Over half of our genomes are made of repeating elements within DNA. In rare cases, these repeats can become unstable and grow in size. These repeat "expansions" cause neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and dementia as well as learning disorders and autism in Fragile X syndrome.

17 Feb 2020

Novel formulation allows use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to control neuropathic pain

Crotoxin, extracted from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been studied for almost a century for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities and as an even more powerful muscle paralyzer than botulinum toxin.

16 Feb 2020

New method for real-time detection of neural oscillation bursts

Neural oscillations - also known as brainwaves - are important carriers of information in the brain. Researchers are increasingly coming to view them less as sustained oscillations and more as transient bursts.

14 Feb 2020

Conspicuously large nerve cells have unique functions essential for survival

The brains of most fish and amphibian species contain a pair of conspicuously large nerve cells. These are the largest cells found in any animal brain.

14 Feb 2020

Light touch on the skin loses its pleasure in people with migraine

A recent study published in the journal Cephalalgia, the official journal of the International Headache Society, builds on the sensorial characteristics of migraine patients.

14 Feb 2020

New study describes inflammatory reaction in lab-developed human astrocytes

Astrocytes are neural cells with many important functions in the nervous system. The inflammation of these cells occurs in brain infections and neurodegenerative disorders, a process called astrogliosis.

14 Feb 2020

Inflammation detected in the brains of veterans with Gulf War Illness

In a new discovery, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have detected widespread inflammation in the brains of veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Illness.

13 Feb 2020

Understanding stress-induced bladder dysfunction in children

We know that stress can have a profound impact on health. But it's rare to discover a health issue that is caused directly by stress.

13 Feb 2020

UK cancer patients use Brainlab Mixed Reality Viewer to visualize, understand their treatment

For the first time, patients in the UK will have access to Brainlab Mixed Reality Viewer as part of their cancer treatment; a new way for physicians to provide visualization of treatment to their patients, actively involving them in their own cancer care.

13 Feb 2020

Light-activated protein restores mitochondrion function in fruit fly model of Parkinson’s disease

A light-sensitive protein can restore mitochondria function in fruit flies bearing a gene mutation associated with Parkinson’s disease and relieve its symptoms, report researchers at Juntendo University in the journal Communications Biology.

13 Feb 2020

P53-deficient oral cancers recruit and reprogram nerves to fuel tumor growth

Loss of an important tumor-suppressing gene allows head and neck cancer to spin off signals to nearby nerves, changing their function and recruiting them to the tumor, where they fuel growth and cancer progression, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the journal Nature today.

13 Feb 2020

EPA fails to follow landmark law to protect kids from toxic pesticides

The landmark Food Quality Protection Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to protect children's health by applying an extra margin of safety to legal limits for pesticides in food.

12 Feb 2020