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European scientists identify gene linked with certain types of early-onset epilepsy

Certain types of early-onset epilepsy are caused by previously unknown mutations of a potassium channel gene, KCNA2. The mutations disrupt the electrical balance in the brain in two ways. In some patients, the flow of potassium is greatly reduced; while in others, it is raised enormously. Both states can lead to hard-to-treat epileptic seizures. Mental and motor development can come to a stop, or even to regress.

12 Mar 2015

Existing epilepsy drug reverses aMCI in elderly patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease

A novel therapeutic approach for an existing drug reverses a condition in elderly patients who are at high risk for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found.

12 Mar 2015

NYU researchers devise computer model to explain how neural circuit learns to categorize

New York University researchers have devised a computer model to explain how a neural circuit learns to classify sensory stimuli into discrete categories, such as "car vs. motorcycle." Their findings, which appear in the journal Nature Communications, shed new light on the brain processes underpinning judgments we make on a daily basis.

12 Mar 2015

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

A team led by Afsaneh Gaillard (Inserm Unit 1084, Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences Laboratory, University of Poitiers), in collaboration with the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular Biology (IRIBHM) in Brussels, has just taken an important step in the area of cell therapy: repairing the cerebral cortex of the adult mouse using a graft of cortical neurons derived from embryonic stem cells.

12 Mar 2015

New study shows how presenilin gene mutations may lead to familial Alzheimer's disease

Mutations in the presenilin-1 gene are the most common cause of inherited, early-onset forms of Alzheimer's disease. In a new study, published in Neuron, scientists replaced the normal mouse presenilin-1 gene with Alzheimer's-causing forms of the human gene to discover how these genetic changes may lead to the disorder.

12 Mar 2015

Glucocorticoid therapies promote functional recovery of blood-brain barrier after blast injury

Barclay Morrison III, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has led the first study to determine underlying biological mechanisms that promote functional recovery of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after blast injury. The research demonstrates that treatment with the glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, after primary blast injury promotes rapid recovery of an in vitro model of the BBB, a highly restrictive semi-permeable barrier whose primary function is to maintain the brain's microenvironment and protect it from potentially toxic substances.

12 Mar 2015

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

Neuron News and Research

European scientists identify gene linked with certain types of early-onset epilepsy

Existing epilepsy drug reverses aMCI in elderly patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease

NYU researchers devise computer model to explain how neural circuit learns to categorize

Researchers take important step in repairing the cerebral cortex of adult mouse

New study shows how presenilin gene mutations may lead to familial Alzheimer's disease

Glucocorticoid therapies promote functional recovery of blood-brain barrier after blast injury

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

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