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How SARS-CoV-2 infects the brain

While there is no official explanation on how SARS-CoV-2 travels to the brain, a new review published in the journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS concluded that there is insufficient evidence on COVID-induced neurological problems coming from a direct invasion of SARS-CoV-2 into the brain.

20 Jul 2021

Component derived from turmeric essential oil exhibits neuroprotective effects

Researchers from Kumamoto University, Japan have found that a component derived from turmeric essential oil, aromatic turmerone (ar-turmerone), and its derivatives act directly on dopaminergic nerves to create a neuroprotective effect on tissue cultures of a Parkinson's disease model.

14 Jul 2021

Study identifies specialized immune cells that sculpt inhibitory neurons to regulate brain wiring

From the bark of a puppy to the patter of rain against the window, our brains receive countless signals every second. Most of the time, we tune out inconsequential cues--the buzz of a fly, the soft rustle of leaves in the tree--and pay attention to important ones--the sound of a car horn, a bang on the door.

7 Jul 2021

High levels of protein linked with heart health could protect against Alzheimer's-like brain damage

By the time people with Alzheimer's disease start exhibiting difficulty remembering and thinking, the disease has been developing in their brains for two decades or more, and their brain tissue already has sustained damage. As the disease progresses, the damage accumulates, and their symptoms worsen.

21 Jun 2021

Study creates a new model of Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neurodegeneration in regions of the brain involved in memory and learning. Amyloid beta and tau are two toxic proteins that build up in disease and cause eventual neuronal death, but little is known about how other cells in the brain react during disease progression.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers identify genomic cellular map associated with hippocampal sclerosis

A multidisciplinary team led by researchers from the Spanish Research Council identifies the genomic cellular map associated with hippocampal sclerosis, a major histopathological condition of temporal lobe epilepsy.

8 Jun 2021

Secondary infections amplify the brain's immune response and affect memory in Alzheimer's disease

New research into Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that secondary infections and new inflammatory events amplify the brain's immune response and affect memory in mice and in humans - even when these secondary events occur outside the brain.

3 Jun 2021

Optic nerve activity may trigger the formation of vision-harming tumors in children

In a study of mice, researchers showed how the act of seeing light may trigger the formation of vision-harming tumors in young children who are born with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome.

2 Jun 2021

University of Freiburg professor honored for groundbreaking results on the brain’s immune system

The blood-brain barrier is an impenetrable barrier between the circulating blood and the brain established before birth that prevents immune cells from entering the brain from the body's immune system. Thus, the brain has its own immune system with a key actor called microglia.

21 May 2021

Potential immunotherapy may improve cognitive and behavioral functions after stroke

Specialized immune cells that accumulate in the brain in the days and weeks after a stroke promote neural functions in mice, pointing to a potential immunotherapy that may boost recovery after the acute injury is over, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine neurologists found.

19 May 2021

Research provides new insight into anesthesia-associated tau spreading in the brain

During the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease, a protein called tau accumulates and spreads in the brain.

12 May 2021

Normalizing cholesterol metabolism in microglia alleviates chronic neuropathic pain

Chemotherapy can induce a painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a chronic condition and common adverse effect for cancer patients undergoing treatment.

10 May 2021

Brain-targeting drug delivery with nano-scaled apoptotic bodies

Scientists from Nanjing University and University of Macau have discovered nano-scaled apoptotic bodies (ABs) as a new brain-targeting drug carrier, bringing new promise for the Parkinson's Disease as well as other brain diseases.

7 May 2021

Certain immune cells can cause damage to the aging nervous system, study finds

Aging is the biggest risk factor for perturbation of the nervous system, even in the absence of distinct disease or trauma.

4 May 2021

Repairing faulty drains could be key to unlocking the potential of Alzheimer's therapies

Experimental Alzheimer's drugs have shown little success in slowing declines in memory and thinking, leaving scientists searching for explanations.

29 Apr 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Chaperone protein imbalance can play key role in initiating toxic tau buildup in the aging brain

Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain - an early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) neuroscientists suggests.

20 Apr 2021

Researchers decipher the molecular underpinning of exceptional responses in glioblastoma patients

Despite access to some of the best possible medical care in the world, Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy both died within 18 months of their diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

19 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does not directly infect the brain but can inflict neurological damage

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, according to a new study from neuropathologists, neurologists, and neuroradiologists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

17 Apr 2021

Research may lead to a significant breakthrough in the battle against deadly brain tumors

Groundbreaking research from Tel Aviv University may lead to a significant breakthrough in the battle against deadly brain cancer.

12 Apr 2021