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Amherst neurobiologists awarded grant to study how neurons regulate locomotion

Neurobiologist Gerald Downes, with chemist James Chambers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Amherst College neurobiologist Josef Trapani, have been awarded a three-year $824,025 collaborative research grant from the National Science Foundation to study the zebrafish brain to better understand how neurons regulate locomotion.

20 Aug 2015

Researchers reveal new pathway that governs proper sorting of essential synaptic proteins in neurons

Genetic analysis of human patients has shown that mutations in genes involved in synaptic communication can drive neuropsychiatric and neurological diseases such as autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer's disease.

20 Aug 2015

Further understanding of genetic influence in ALS to be explored in new partnership

Biogen, the ALS Association and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) today announced a new collaboration to better understand the differences and commonalities in the ALS disease process and how genes influence the clinical features of the disease.

19 Aug 2015

Scientists map 3-D atomic structure of protein complex that controls neurotransmitter release from brain cells

Scientists have revealed never-before-seen details of how our brain sends rapid-fire messages between its cells. They mapped the 3-D atomic structure of a two-part protein complex that controls the release of signaling chemicals, called neurotransmitters, from brain cells. Understanding how cells release those signals in less than one-thousandth of a second could help launch a new wave of research on drugs for treating brain disorders.

18 Aug 2015

Neuroscientist discovers how animal's biological clock wakes up, goes to sleep

Fifteen years ago, an odd mutant fruit fly caught the attention and curiosity of Dr. Ravi Allada, a circadian rhythms expert at Northwestern University, leading the neuroscientist to recently discover how an animal's biological clock wakes it up in the morning and puts it to sleep at night.

14 Aug 2015

Study suggests potential target for treating familial form of ALS

A healthy motor neuron needs to transport its damaged components from the nerve-muscle connection all the way back to the cell body in the spinal cord. If it cannot, the defective components pile up and the cell becomes sick and dies. Researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke have learned how a mutation in the gene for superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), which causes ALS, leads cells to accumulate damaged materials.

13 Aug 2015

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States have developed a new model to study motor neuron degeneration and have used this to identify three genes involved in the neurodegeneration process. These findings could have relevance for understanding the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other forms of motor neuron disease (MND).

7 Aug 2015

Einstein and Montefiore researchers receive $1.2 million grant to advance spinal cord injury research

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System have received a $1.2 million grant from New York State to advance their promising technology for treating paralysis and other effects of spinal cord injuries (SCI).

7 Aug 2015

Brain-controlled prosthesis could improve quality of life in people with spinal cord injuries

When we type or perform other precise tasks, our brains and muscles usually work together effortlessly. But when a neurological disease or spinal cord injury severs the connection between the brain and limbs, once-easy motions become difficult or impossible.

3 Aug 2015

Study on marine snails could help better understand underlying mechanisms of age-related memory loss

A new research study on marine snails uncovered the first cells in the nervous system to fail during aging. The University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science researchers' findings are important to better understanding the underlying mechanisms of age-related memory loss in humans.

30 Jul 2015

Mice without specific brain chemical develop characteristics similar to bipolar disorder, shows study

Mice that have a particular brain chemical switched off become hyperactive and sleep for just 65 per cent of their normal time.

29 Jul 2015

Static synapses that lie between cell body and AIS critical for decreasing neuronal excitability

In biology, stability is important. From body temperature to blood pressure and sugar levels, our body ensures that these remain within reasonable limits and do not reach potentially damaging extremes.

25 Jul 2015

Researchers use gene-editing technique involving low-dose irradiation to repair human stem cells

For the first time, researchers have employed a gene-editing technique involving low-dose irradiation to repair patient cells, according to a study published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. This method, developed by researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, is 10 times more effective than techniques currently in use.

23 Jul 2015

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have identified key differences between patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and those with the most common genetic form of ALS, a mutation in the C9orf72 gene.

21 Jul 2015

Neuroscientists interpret code the brain uses to make noisy neuronal circuits

By analyzing the signals of individual neurons in animals undergoing behavioral tests, neuroscientists at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Geneva and the University of Rochester have deciphered the code the brain uses to make the most of its inherently "noisy" neuronal circuits.

17 Jul 2015

New project aims to revolutionize application of optogenetics in neuroscience

The revolution that optogenetics technology has brought to biology -- neuroscience in particular -- could be transformed all over again if a new project getting underway at Brown University and Central Michigan University is successful.

17 Jul 2015

Neuronal activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex is nuanced and complex, new study finds

Results of a new study reported this week by David Moorman of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Gary Aston-Jones of Rutgers University suggest that adjusting behavior based on previous events involves an unexpected mix of neurons working together in the brain's prefrontal cortex.

17 Jul 2015

Scientists discover protein that plays significant role in development of fragile X syndrome

Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have discovered that the protein APP plays a significant role in the development of fragile X syndrome (FXS) at young stages. They identified an unexpected biological pathway as a promising target to ameliorate deficits associated with FXS and autism. The results have recently been published in Neuron, one of the most influential journals in the field of neuroscience.

16 Jul 2015

New research offers potential for early intervention to prevent neurodegenerative diseases

New research led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center provides the first direct evidence linking traumatic brain injury to Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- and offers the potential for early intervention to prevent the development of these debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.

16 Jul 2015

Gene therapy provides life-long protection to photoreceptor cells in animal model of retinitis pigmentosa

A collaboration between scientists in the UK and the USA has shown that gene therapy can give life-long protection to the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells responsible for colour vision in a mouse model of the most common inherited eye disorder.

15 Jul 2015

Neuron News and Research

Amherst neurobiologists awarded grant to study how neurons regulate locomotion

Researchers reveal new pathway that governs proper sorting of essential synaptic proteins in neurons

Further understanding of genetic influence in ALS to be explored in new partnership

Scientists map 3-D atomic structure of protein complex that controls neurotransmitter release from brain cells

Neuroscientist discovers how animal's biological clock wakes up, goes to sleep

Study suggests potential target for treating familial form of ALS

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Einstein and Montefiore researchers receive $1.2 million grant to advance spinal cord injury research

Brain-controlled prosthesis could improve quality of life in people with spinal cord injuries

Study on marine snails could help better understand underlying mechanisms of age-related memory loss

Mice without specific brain chemical develop characteristics similar to bipolar disorder, shows study

Static synapses that lie between cell body and AIS critical for decreasing neuronal excitability

Researchers use gene-editing technique involving low-dose irradiation to repair human stem cells

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Neuroscientists interpret code the brain uses to make noisy neuronal circuits

New project aims to revolutionize application of optogenetics in neuroscience

Neuronal activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex is nuanced and complex, new study finds

Scientists discover protein that plays significant role in development of fragile X syndrome

New research offers potential for early intervention to prevent neurodegenerative diseases

Gene therapy provides life-long protection to photoreceptor cells in animal model of retinitis pigmentosa

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

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

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How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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