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Study changes our understanding of how position and touch signals are combined in brain

Two types of touch information — the feel of an object and the position of an animal's limb — have long been thought to flow into the brain via different channels and be integrated in sophisticated processing regions.

10 Apr 2015

fMRI can predict language development outcomes in ASD toddlers

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers say it may be possible to predict future language development outcomes in toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), even before they've been formally diagnosed with the condition.

10 Apr 2015

TSRI scientists find molecular trigger of schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain changes

According to the World Health Organization, more than 21 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder that can cause delusions and hallucinations and lead to increased risk of suicide...

8 Apr 2015

Scientists identify brain molecule that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have identified a molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

8 Apr 2015

Brain's primary visual cortex can drive the timing of actions

When managing, assigning each task to a specialist is often the most efficient strategy. Most researchers regard the brain as working similarly, with each region specialized to a given task. But Johns Hopkins neuroscientists have found, in rats, that the brain's primary visual cortex (VC) not only portrays the visual world but can also drive the timing of actions.

8 Apr 2015

Researchers discover genetic factors key to POMC cells

The little voice inside your head that tells you to eat, or stop eating, isn't a little voice - it's actually a cluster of about 10,000 specialized brain cells. And now, an international team of scientists has found tiny triggers inside those cells that give rise to this "voice", and keep it speaking throughout life.

6 Apr 2015

Mouse model may help understand the physiology behind complex brain disorders

Complex brain disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia, still puzzle scientists because their causes lie hidden in early events of brain development, which are still poorly understood.

3 Apr 2015

Research breakthrough could help develop tools to repair damaged nerve cells

A team of researchers at the IRCM led by Frédéric Charron, PhD, in collaboration with bioengineers at McGill University, uncovered a new kind of synergy in the development of the nervous system, which explains an important mechanism required for neural circuits to form properly.

1 Apr 2015

Understanding how neurons work

Before scientists can unlock the secrets of the human brain, they must fully understand neurons—the cells of our brain, spinal cord and overall nervous system. Thousands of detailed neuron images, from different organisms, currently sit in individual data collections across the globe, comprising several petabytes of data altogether.

1 Apr 2015

Allen Institute for Brain Science leads international effort to advance analysis of single neurons

The Allen Institute for Brain Science is spearheading a landmark international effort to define and advance the state-of-the-art digital reconstruction and analysis of single neurons. The project launching today, called BigNeuron, aims to create reliable high-throughput and quantitative 3D reconstructions of the thousands of branches that make up individual neurons: a crucial step to ultimately understanding how the brain encodes information.

31 Mar 2015

One round of adenosine triphosphate turnover sufficient for SNARE complex disassembly

In 2013, James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, and Thomas C. Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of molecular machineries for vesicle trafficking, a major transport system in cells for maintaining cellular processes. Vesicle traffic acts as a kind of "home-delivery service" in cells.

30 Mar 2015

New study may help decode attention deficit disorders

Sometimes being too focused on a task is not a good thing. During tasks that require our attention, we might become so engrossed in what we are doing that we fail to notice there is a better way to get the job done.

30 Mar 2015

Rice University study reveals carbon nanotube fibers can provide two-way connection with neurons

Carbon nanotube fibers invented at Rice University may provide the best way to communicate directly with the brain.

26 Mar 2015

RNA molecule can be manipulated to generate more neurons from neural stem cells

A research team at UC San Francisco has discovered an RNA molecule called Pnky that can be manipulated to increase the production of neurons from neural stem cells.

20 Mar 2015

UZH researchers map spinal cord neurons involved in 'Gate Control Theory' of pain

Sensing pain is extremely unpleasant and sometimes hard to bear - and pain can even become chronic. The perception of pain varies a lot depending on the context in which it is experienced. 50 years ago, neurobiologist Patrick Wall and psychologist Ronald Melzack formulated the so-called "Gate Control Theory" of pain.

20 Mar 2015

UT Southwestern neuroscientists identify key brain cells that control circadian rhythms

UT Southwestern Medical Center neuroscientists have identified key cells within the brain that are critical for determining circadian rhythms, the 24-hour processes that control sleep and wake cycles, as well as other important body functions such as hormone production, metabolism, and blood pressure.

18 Mar 2015

Laura De Laporte receives ERC grant to develop minimally invasive therapy for spinal cord injury

The research objective of Dr.-Ing. Laura De Laporte, junior group leader at DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials in Aachen, is to develop a minimally invasive therapy for spinal cord injury. Her goal and her scientific approach to develop an injectable material with the ability to provide biochemical and physical guidance for regenerating nerves across the injury site, was selected by the European Research Council.

18 Mar 2015

Study offers new neurological explanation for variability in roundworm's brain activity

Even worms have free will. If offered a delicious smell, for example, a roundworm will usually stop its wandering to investigate the source, but sometimes it won't. Just as with humans, the same stimulus does not always provoke the same response, even from the same individual. New research at Rockefeller University, published online today (March 12) in Cell, offers a new neurological explanation for this variability, derived by studying a simple three-cell network within the roundworm brain.

18 Mar 2015

Researchers develop new AFM system for imaging structural dynamics of living cells, neurons

While progress has been made over the past decades in the pursuit to optimize atomic force microscopy (AFM) for imaging living cells, there were still a number of limitations and technological issues that needed to be addressed before fundamental questions in cell biology could be address in living cells.

18 Mar 2015

Neuralstem reports top line data from NSI-566 Phase II trial for treatment of ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. announced top line data from the Phase II trial of NSI-566 spinal cord-derived neural stem cells under development for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study met primary safety endpoints. The maximum tolerated dose of 16 million transplanted cells and the surgery was well tolerated.

12 Mar 2015

Neuron News and Research

Study changes our understanding of how position and touch signals are combined in brain

fMRI can predict language development outcomes in ASD toddlers

TSRI scientists find molecular trigger of schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain changes

Scientists identify brain molecule that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes

Brain's primary visual cortex can drive the timing of actions

Researchers discover genetic factors key to POMC cells

Mouse model may help understand the physiology behind complex brain disorders

Research breakthrough could help develop tools to repair damaged nerve cells

Understanding how neurons work

Allen Institute for Brain Science leads international effort to advance analysis of single neurons

One round of adenosine triphosphate turnover sufficient for SNARE complex disassembly

New study may help decode attention deficit disorders

Rice University study reveals carbon nanotube fibers can provide two-way connection with neurons

RNA molecule can be manipulated to generate more neurons from neural stem cells

UZH researchers map spinal cord neurons involved in 'Gate Control Theory' of pain

UT Southwestern neuroscientists identify key brain cells that control circadian rhythms

Laura De Laporte receives ERC grant to develop minimally invasive therapy for spinal cord injury

Study offers new neurological explanation for variability in roundworm's brain activity

Researchers develop new AFM system for imaging structural dynamics of living cells, neurons

Neuralstem reports top line data from NSI-566 Phase II trial for treatment of ALS

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

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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