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Human neurons employ highly compartmentalized signaling, study shows

Human neurons are much larger than those of model organisms mice and rats, so it's been unclear whether it's size that makes a difference in our brain's computational power.

19 Oct 2018

Researchers examine SSRI use during pregnancy and major gestational malformations

A comprehensive new review article presents the most current understanding of the role selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors play in increased risk of multiple diverse gestational malformations and takes aim at the ongoing debate over whether SSRIs as a drug class can cause these malformations.

16 Oct 2018

Researchers unravel fresh clues as to how kidney stones form

Kidney stones--solid, pebble-like grit that forms when too much of certain minerals like calcium are in the urine--can strike men, women, and increasingly, children, and the presence and pain of stones afflicts more than 12 percent of the world's population.

11 Oct 2018

Molecular mechanisms behind therapeutic action of ancient herbal medicine discovered

Researchers in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine have discovered the molecular basis for a therapeutic action of an ancient herbal medicine used across Africa to treat various illnesses, including epilepsy.

10 Oct 2018

Scientists identify new biomarker for Alzheimer's disease of sporadic origin

The objective of the research, undertaken in the laboratories of the IBPM, is to develop a model for studying Alzheimer's disease of sporadic origin, in other words, not due to a hereditary genetic mutation.

10 Oct 2018

Researchers show possibility to restore insulin cell function in type 2 diabetes

By blocking a protein, VDAC1, in the insulin-producing beta cells, it is possible to restore their normal function in case of type 2 diabetes. In preclinical experiments, the researchers behind a new study have also shown that it is possible to prevent the development of the disease.

8 Oct 2018

Study reveals structure of potential drug target in neurological conditions

Researchers at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) have revealed the atomic-level structure of a protein that could serve as a promising new drug target for the treatment of neurological conditions such as bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.

25 Sep 2018

Inhaled form of high blood pressure drug has potential to treat anxiety, pain

An inhaled form of a high blood pressure medication has potential to treat certain types of anxiety as well as pain, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

11 Sep 2018

Researchers reveal effect of high amounts of cholesterol on specific ion channel in heart

Using a computer model, researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Illinois at Chicago have revealed the effect of increased amounts of cholesterol on a specific ion channel involved in regulating potassium levels in the heart.

11 Sep 2018

Changes in TRPV3 genes may have helped mammoths withstand lower temperatures

Columbia University biomedical researchers have captured close-up views of TRPV3, a skin-cell ion channel that plays important roles in sensing temperature, itch, and pain.

25 Aug 2018

Harvard scientists end 40-year-quest for elusive identity of 'hearing' protein

Scientists at Harvard Medical School say they have ended a 40-year-quest for the elusive identity of the sensor protein responsible for hearing and balance.

23 Aug 2018

Microscopic insect odour detecting mechanisms discovered

Researchers at Rockefeller have used an ultra sensitive device to detect the olfactory systems of insects that help them smell out food and danger. The study titled, “Cryo-EM structure of the insect olfactory receptor Orco,” on the ion channels that form the basis of the odour detecting systems of insects was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

16 Aug 2018

New study explains why women get more migraines than men

Research published today reveals a potential mechanism for migraine causation which could explain why women get more migraines than men.

14 Aug 2018

UAB study shows how ion channel differentiates newborn and mature neurons in the brain

The dentate gyrus of the hippocampus is part of the brain that helps form memories. It is also one of just two areas in the adult brain where new neurons are continuously formed.

13 Aug 2018

Scientists find genetic marker that indicates a person's risk for tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy

Scientists in Japan have found a potential marker to identify which people with abnormally fast heartbeats are at high risk of developing heart failure.

9 Aug 2018

Major genome science study offers insights into cardiac electrical diseases

New knowledge about biological processes related to the heart's electrical activity has been gained through a major genome science study. The research had the largest sample size ever of a project of this type.

28 Jul 2018

New finding may hold key to better understand the complexities of neurological disorders

A team of bioengineers at UC San Diego has answered a question that has long puzzled neuroscientists, and may hold a key to better understanding the complexities of neurological disorders: Why are axons, the spindly arms extending from neurons that transmit information from neuron to neuron in the brain, designed the way they are?

12 Jul 2018

Study could help explain how synapses may be made weaker or stronger

To work at all, the nervous system needs its cells, or neurons, to connect and converse in a language of electrical impulses and chemical neurotransmitters.

11 Jul 2018

Scientists discover protein crucial for activating inflammation

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein that is crucial for activating inflammation - both the good kind of inflammation that leads to healing wounds and fighting infection, as well as excessive inflammation where the immune system can damage tissues and organs.

27 Jun 2018

Newly developed model of retina can predict outcome of perturbation with high precision

Our eye hosts a powerful biological computer, the retina. Understanding how the retina transforms images from the outside world into signals that the brain can interpret would not only result in insights into brain computations, but could also be useful for medicine.

25 Jun 2018