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Neuroscientists reveal how olfaction is encoded in the brain

In a study that helps to deconstruct how olfaction is encoded in the brain, neuroscientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a type of neuron that appears to help tune, amplify and dampen neuronal responses to chemosensory inputs from the nasal cavity.

10 Mar 2015

The Brain Prize awarded to four scientists for development of two-photon microscopy

The world's most valuable (€1m) neuroscience prize, The Brain Prize has been awarded, to four scientists, Winfried Denk and Arthur Konnerth (Germany), and Karel Svoboda and David Tank (USA), for the invention and development of two-photon microscopy, a transformative tool in brain research.

9 Mar 2015

Naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall asleep

If you walk into your local drug store and ask for a supplement to help you sleep, you might be directed to a bottle labeled "melatonin." The hormone supplement's use as a sleep aid is supported by anecdotal evidence and even some reputable research studies.

9 Mar 2015

ULB researchers test therapeutic potential of cortical neurons developed in laboratory

Researchers at the ULB - IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute - have tested the therapeutic potential of cortical neurons generated at the laboratory, by transplantation in the brains of adult mice.

6 Mar 2015

Obesity drug under clinical trials could help treat anxiety

Did you know that our body produces its own marijuana-like compound to protect us against anxiety? A study led by Ottawa researchers, published today in Neuron, reveals a new biological pathway that regulates this system and suggests that a drug currently in clinical trials to treat obesity might also provide an attractive way to combat anxiety disorders.

6 Mar 2015

Possible therapies to address cognitive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia

By studying specially bred mice with specific developmental and cognitive traits resembling those seen in schizophrenia, UC San Francisco researchers have provided new evidence that abnormal rhythmic activity in particular brain cells contributes to problems with learning, attention, and decision-making in individuals with that disorder.

6 Mar 2015

Northwestern scientists map brain circuit that processes temperature information

Innately, we pull our hand away when we touch a hot pan on the stove, but little is known about how our brain processes temperature information. Northwestern University scientists now have discovered how a fruit fly's brain represents temperature, mapping it neuron by neuron, which has implications for understanding the much more complex human brain and how it responds to sensory stimuli.

5 Mar 2015

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

A study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital reveals for the first time exactly how mutations associated with the most common form of inherited Alzheimer's disease produce the disorder's devastating effects.

5 Mar 2015

Scripps florida scientists find a defect responsible for memory impairment in aging

Everyone worries about losing their memory as they grow older—memory loss remains one of the most common complaints of the elderly. But the molecular reasons behind the processes remain unclear, particularly those associated with advancing age.

4 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

TSRI scientists find mechanism that causes long-term memory loss due to age

Everyone worries about losing their memory as they grow older--memory loss remains one of the most common complaints of the elderly. But the molecular reasons behind the processes remain unclear, particularly those associated with advancing age.

4 Mar 2015

New genetic discovery may lead to effective treatments for Huntington's disease

A new genetic discovery in the field of Huntington's disease (HD) could mean a more effective way in determining severity of this neurological disease when using specific treatments. This study may provide insight for treatments that would be effective in slowing down or postponing the death of neurons for people who carry the HD gene mutation, but who do not yet show symptoms of the disease.

2 Mar 2015

Researchers successfully convert adult human skin cells into neurons that control appetite

Researchers have for the first time successfully converted adult human skin cells into neurons of the type that regulate appetite, providing a patient-specific model for studying the neurophysiology of weight control and testing new therapies for obesity.

28 Feb 2015

Neuroprotective compounds can limit damage to the brain during ischemic stroke

In the 1990s, neuroscientists identified a class of drugs that showed promise in the area of stroke. NMDA receptor antagonists could limit damage to the brain in animal models of stroke. But one problem complicated testing the drugs in a clinical setting: the side effects included disorientation and hallucinations.

28 Feb 2015

Carnegie Mellon study identifies intermediary neuron system that acts as synaptic cloaking device

Neuroscientists believe that the connectome, a map of each and every connection between the millions of neurons in the brain, will provide a blueprint that will allow them to link brain anatomy to brain function. But a new study from Carnegie Mellon University has found that a specific type of neuron might be thwarting their efforts at mapping the connectome by temporarily cloaking the synapses that link a wide field of neurons.

27 Feb 2015

Scientists map autism genetic pathway that regulates brain development

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that mutations that cause autism in children are connected to a pathway that regulates brain development. The research, led by Lilia Iakoucheva, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, is published in the February 18 issue of Neuron.

19 Feb 2015

CAMH scientists discover potential new approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have discovered a promising new approach to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). In a new study, they've identified a previously unknown change in the spinal cord related to MS, and a way to alter this change to reduce the nerve cell damage that occurs with the disease.

18 Feb 2015

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

A process previously thought to be mere background noise in the brain has been found to shape the growth of neurons as the brain develops, according to research from the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (MRC CDN), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), published in Cell Reports.

13 Feb 2015

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

The new study, published recently in the journal Brain, revealed the mechanism of toxicity of a misfolded form of the protein that underlies prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

13 Feb 2015

TUSM researchers awarded $7.4 million to study brain impairment in patients infected with HIV

Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine have been awarded a $7.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to determine how cocaine and HIV-1 interact to cause brain impairment in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

11 Feb 2015

Neuron News and Research

Neuroscientists reveal how olfaction is encoded in the brain

The Brain Prize awarded to four scientists for development of two-photon microscopy

Naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall asleep

ULB researchers test therapeutic potential of cortical neurons developed in laboratory

Obesity drug under clinical trials could help treat anxiety

Possible therapies to address cognitive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia

Northwestern scientists map brain circuit that processes temperature information

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

Scripps florida scientists find a defect responsible for memory impairment in aging

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

TSRI scientists find mechanism that causes long-term memory loss due to age

New genetic discovery may lead to effective treatments for Huntington's disease

Researchers successfully convert adult human skin cells into neurons that control appetite

Neuroprotective compounds can limit damage to the brain during ischemic stroke

Carnegie Mellon study identifies intermediary neuron system that acts as synaptic cloaking device

Scientists map autism genetic pathway that regulates brain development

CAMH scientists discover potential new approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

TUSM researchers awarded $7.4 million to study brain impairment in patients infected with HIV

Human iPSCs: A Full Guide to Advanced in Vitro Models and Applications eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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