Neuron News and Research

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Light-activated diabetes drug: an interview with Dr David Hodson

We've known about chemicals that can be light-activated for about five to ten years now. They’ve mainly all been applied to neurons and, more specifically, the retina. Nobody has ever really looked at any tissues outside of the nervous system.

5 Nov 2014

Even brief workouts can reduce risk of relapse during meth withdrawal

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that even brief workouts can reduce the risk of relapse in rats withdrawing from methamphetamine. In addition, the team found that exercise affected the neurons in a brain region that had never before been associated with meth withdrawal, suggesting a new direction for drug development.

5 Nov 2014

3D brain-like tissue: an interview with Professor David Kaplan, Tufts University

In 2D, neurons tend to form limited connectivity reflective of the 3D complexity in the brain and have more limited cultivation time before reduction in functions.

4 Nov 2014

Tau proteins spur neuron death in Alzheimer's disease

New research points to tau, not amyloid-beta (Abeta) plaque, as the seminal event that spurs neuron death in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The finding, which dramatically alters the prevailing theory of Alzheimer's development, also explains why some people with plaque build-up in their brains don't have dementia.

3 Nov 2014

Scratching itchy skin causes the brain to release serotonin, intensifies itchy feeling

Turns out your mom was right: Scratching an itch only makes it worse. New research from scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that scratching causes the brain to release serotonin, which intensifies the itch sensation.

31 Oct 2014

Aging astrocytes lose ability to protect motor neurons, reveal Cedars-Sinai ALS researchers

Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks muscle-controlling nerve cells – motor neurons – in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord, leading to progressive weakness and eventual paralysis of muscles throughout the body. Patients typically survive only three to five years after diagnosis.

31 Oct 2014

Nanostructures around brain cells may have role in central nervous system function

An accumulation of a protein called amyloid-beta into large insoluble deposits called plaques is known to cause Alzheimer's disease. One aspect of this illness that has not received much attention is which role the structure of the brain environment plays.

30 Oct 2014

Teen binge drinking effects may last a lifetime, suggests UMass Amherst study

Binge drinking can have lasting effects on brain pathways that are still developing during adolescence, say neuroscience researcher Heather N. Richardson and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Louisiana State University.

29 Oct 2014

Study sheds light on why we remember some things and not others

Why do we remember some things and not others? In a unique imaging study, two Northwestern University researchers have discovered how neurons in the brain might allow some experiences to be remembered while others are forgotten. It turns out, if you want to remember something about your environment, you better involve your dendrites.

27 Oct 2014

Nano-sized discovery helps explain bipolar disorder

A nano-sized discovery by Northwestern Medicine® scientists helps explain how bipolar disorder affects the brain and could one day lead to new drug therapies to treat the mental illness.

24 Oct 2014

Scientists use innovative exome sequencing strategy to identify new gene associated with ALS

Using an innovative exome sequencing strategy, a team of international scientists led by John Landers, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has shown that TUBA4A, the gene encoding the Tubulin Alpha 4A protein, is associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

23 Oct 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals provides update on Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in children with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today provided an update on its ongoing open-label Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in infants and children with spinal muscular atrophy at the 19th International World Muscle Society (WMS) Congress in Berlin, Germany.

10 Oct 2014

UCI to receive $8 million from NIH to study brain cell activity in motor neuron disorders

UC Irvine will receive $8 million from the National Institutes of Health to establish one of six national centers dedicated to creating a database of human cellular responses that will accelerate efforts to develop new therapies for many diseases.

9 Oct 2014

UT Arlington scientists explore how fluid flow could play significant role in neuronal growth

A University of Texas at Arlington team exploring how neuron growth can be controlled in the lab and, possibly, in the human body has published a new paper in Nature Scientific Reports on how fluid flow could play a significant role.

7 Oct 2014

Kessler Foundation's Guang Yue to study impact of high-effort training on muscle weakness

Guang Yue, PhD, of Kessler Foundation has been awarded an NIH grant for$1,962,767 to study the impact of high-effort training on the muscle weakness that impairs quality life among many individuals with cancer.

7 Oct 2014

Groundbreaking study tracks precise path of rabies to the central nervous system

Rabies causes acute inflammation of the brain, producing psychosis and violent aggression. The virus, which paralyzes the body's internal organs, is always deadly for those unable to obtain vaccines in time. Some 55,000 people die from rabies every year.

7 Oct 2014

Allen Institute for Brain Science receives $8.7 million NIH grant to explore synapses

The Allen Institute for Brain Science, in a project led by Stephen Smith, Ph.D., Senior Investigator, has been awarded an $8.7 million, five-year Transformative Research Award from the National Institutes of Health to lead the creation of a publicly accessible model of synapse populations in mouse and human brains.

6 Oct 2014

Research findings could help find ways to enhance overall learning, memory

The more curious we are about a topic, the easier it is to learn information about that topic. New research publishing online October 2 in the Cell Press journal Neuron provides insights into what happens in our brains when curiosity is piqued.

3 Oct 2014

Review article provides novel insight into brain changes in alcohol-related sleep-wake disturbances

A review article published online in Behavioral Brain Research provides novel insight into changes that happen in the brain as a result of chronic alcohol exposure that can lead to disruptions in the sleep cycle.

30 Sep 2014

Scientists show how individual neurons in the human brain react to morphed faces

An international team of scientists, involving Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, director of the Centre for Systems Neuroscience and Head of Bioengineering at the University of Leicester, has shown how individual neurons in the human brain react to ambiguous morphed faces.

29 Sep 2014

Neuron News and Research

Light-activated diabetes drug: an interview with Dr David Hodson

Even brief workouts can reduce risk of relapse during meth withdrawal

3D brain-like tissue: an interview with Professor David Kaplan, Tufts University

Tau proteins spur neuron death in Alzheimer's disease

Scratching itchy skin causes the brain to release serotonin, intensifies itchy feeling

Aging astrocytes lose ability to protect motor neurons, reveal Cedars-Sinai ALS researchers

Nanostructures around brain cells may have role in central nervous system function

Teen binge drinking effects may last a lifetime, suggests UMass Amherst study

Study sheds light on why we remember some things and not others

Nano-sized discovery helps explain bipolar disorder

Scientists use innovative exome sequencing strategy to identify new gene associated with ALS

Isis Pharmaceuticals provides update on Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in children with SMA

UCI to receive $8 million from NIH to study brain cell activity in motor neuron disorders

UT Arlington scientists explore how fluid flow could play significant role in neuronal growth

Kessler Foundation's Guang Yue to study impact of high-effort training on muscle weakness

Groundbreaking study tracks precise path of rabies to the central nervous system

Allen Institute for Brain Science receives $8.7 million NIH grant to explore synapses

Research findings could help find ways to enhance overall learning, memory

Review article provides novel insight into brain changes in alcohol-related sleep-wake disturbances

Scientists show how individual neurons in the human brain react to morphed faces

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