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Genes vital for age-related cognitive declines in memory identified in adult worm neurons

Researchers from Princeton University have identified genes important for age-related cognitive declines in memory in adult worm neurons, which had not been studied previously. The research, published in the journal Nature, could eventually point the way toward therapies to extend life and enhance health in aging human populations.

15 Dec 2015

Light-driven protein has potential to become key tool for optogenetics

Biophysicists have developed a hypothesis to explain the function of a light-driven protein which pumps sodium ions across a cell membrane, and they have revealed the key structural feature of these pumps. The scientists see these sodium pumps as being highly promising tools in using light signals to control nerve cells – which is exactly what is involved in the new scientific field of optogenetics.

15 Dec 2015

Researchers trace origins of early abnormal brain overgrowth in ASD

Further underscoring the prenatal origins of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe for the first time how abnormal gene activity in cell cycle networks that are known to control brain cell production may underlie abnormal early brain growth in the disorder.

14 Dec 2015

Report uncovers how Down syndrome hampers nervous system that plays key role in health, longevity

While most Down syndrome research has focused on the brain, a new report by Johns Hopkins University biologists uncovers how the disorder hampers a separate part of the nervous system that plays a key role in health and longevity.

14 Dec 2015

Androgen deprivation therapy elevates Alzheimer’s risk

US researchers find that androgen deprivation therapy increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in men with prostate cancer, with the risk rising with greater duration of therapy.

11 Dec 2015

Apigenin improves neuron formation, strengthens connections between brain cells

Brazilian researchers from D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Federal University of Bahia have demonstrated in laboratory that apigenin, a substance found in parsley, thyme, chamomile and red pepper, improves neuron formation and strengthens the connections between brain cells.

11 Dec 2015

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

Although it is known that psychiatric disorders have a strong genetic component, untangling the web of genes contributing to each disease is a daunting task. Scientists have found hundreds of genes that are mutated in patients with disorders such as autism, but each patient usually has only a handful of these variations.

10 Dec 2015

Researchers identify brain processes in mice that shape different sensory perceptions

Scientists have long known that when sounds are faint or objects are seen through fog in the distance, repetition of these weak or ambiguous sensory “inputs” can result in different perceptions inside the same brain.

10 Dec 2015

New algorithm helps analyze microscope images of cells growing in petri dishes

Scientists looking for ways to stimulate the growth of neurons can spend hours painstakingly analyzing microscope images of cells growing in petri dishes. A new algorithm developed by Brown University researchers automates that process and analyzes images more accurately than previous automated approaches.

8 Dec 2015

New device can help diagnose stroke in less than 10 minutes

Minutes count when treating stroke, but current diagnostics take as long as three hours, careful lab work and skilled technicians to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis. Scientists at Cornell University's Baker Institute for Animal Health have developed a device that helps diagnose stroke in less than 10 minutes using a drop of blood barely big enough to moisten your fingertip.

1 Dec 2015

Brain protein identifies presence of nerve fiber damage

Physicians and others now recognize that seemingly mild, concussion-type head injuries lead to long-term cognitive impairments surprisingly often. A brain protein called SNTF, which rises in the blood after some concussions, signals the type of brain damage that is thought to be the source of these cognitive impairments, according to a study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

24 Nov 2015

Researchers reveal new technique for watching the brain's neurons in action

Researchers at Duke and Stanford Universities have devised a way to watch the details of neurons at work, pretty much in real time.

23 Nov 2015

Neurodata Without Borders provides common format for brain data

An alliance of brain researchers and funders has announced a common data format to facilitate the free and open exchange of complex information about the brain--information that scientists can then use to accelerate progress in understanding the brain and developing new treatments for brain disorders.

23 Nov 2015

Rockefeller University researchers discover molecule that helps guide axons during CNS development

During embryonic development, billions of neurons nimbly reposition themselves within the brain and spinal cord, and connect branches to form the neural circuits that ultimately control our movements, perception, and memory. Scientists have long sought to understand the driving forces in this meticulously choreographed dance, in which each cell seems to know precisely where to be to at any given time, and with what other cells it must link.

20 Nov 2015

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

University of Florida Health researchers have made a new discovery about Huntington's disease, showing that the gene that causes the fatal disorder makes an unexpected "cocktail" of mutant proteins that accumulate in the brain.

19 Nov 2015

Researchers find mechanism to repair communication between neurons

A team of researchers led by professor Patrik Verstreken (VIB/KU Leuven) has exposed the fine details of a mechanism that provides more insight in the communication between neurons. The research has clarified how damaged synapses - the connection points between neurons - are repaired to keep communication between neurons at an optimal level.

19 Nov 2015

Scientists succeed in promoting regeneration of injured neurons in zebrafish by the use of light

The nervous system is built to last a lifetime, but diverse diseases or environmental insults can overpower the capacity of neurons to maintain function or to repair after trauma. A team led by Dr. Hernán López-Schier, head of the Research Unit Sensory Biology and Organogenesis at Helmholtz Zentrum München, now succeeded in promoting the repair of an injured neural circuit in zebrafish.

18 Nov 2015

NRL researchers to develop next generation of functional materials to map brain connections

Research biologists, chemists and theoreticians at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, are on pace to develop the next generation of functional materials that could enable the mapping of the complex neural connections in the brain. The ultimate goal is to better understand how the billions of neurons in the brain communicate with one another during normal brain function, or dysfunction, as result of injury or disease.

18 Nov 2015

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

A study led by the University of Utah School of Medicine provides new insights into how the subtle changes within cells, caused by disruptions in a gene called Kirrel3, could underlie some types of intellectual disability and autism.

18 Nov 2015

Research brings scientists one step closer to developing human-like artificial intelligence

Making a computer that learns and remembers like a human brain is a daunting challenge. The complex organ has 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections -- or synapses -- that can grow stronger or weaker over time. But now scientists report in ACS' journal Nano Letters the development of a first-of-its-kind synthetic synapse that mimics the plasticity of the real thing, bringing us one step closer to human-like artificial intelligence.

12 Nov 2015

Neuron News and Research

Genes vital for age-related cognitive declines in memory identified in adult worm neurons

Light-driven protein has potential to become key tool for optogenetics

Researchers trace origins of early abnormal brain overgrowth in ASD

Report uncovers how Down syndrome hampers nervous system that plays key role in health, longevity

Androgen deprivation therapy elevates Alzheimer’s risk

Apigenin improves neuron formation, strengthens connections between brain cells

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

Researchers identify brain processes in mice that shape different sensory perceptions

New algorithm helps analyze microscope images of cells growing in petri dishes

New device can help diagnose stroke in less than 10 minutes

Brain protein identifies presence of nerve fiber damage

Researchers reveal new technique for watching the brain's neurons in action

Neurodata Without Borders provides common format for brain data

Rockefeller University researchers discover molecule that helps guide axons during CNS development

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

Researchers find mechanism to repair communication between neurons

Scientists succeed in promoting regeneration of injured neurons in zebrafish by the use of light

NRL researchers to develop next generation of functional materials to map brain connections

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

Research brings scientists one step closer to developing human-like artificial intelligence

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