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Research finding could provide better understanding of severe mental illness

A neuroscientist at Rutgers University-Newark says the human brain operates much the same whether active or at rest - a finding that could provide a better understanding of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other serious mental health conditions that afflict an estimated 13.6 million Americans.

11 Jul 2014

New study sheds light on role of RPM-1 protein in neuron development

In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shed new light on these complex processes, showing that a particular protein plays a far more sophisticated role in neuron development than previously thought.

11 Jul 2014

Gene therapy can improve regenerative capacity of injured RGCs

Because the adult mammalian central nervous system has only limited intrinsic capacity to regenerate connections after injury, due to factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to the mature neuron, therapies are required to support the survival of injured neurons and to promote the long-distance regrowth of axons back to their original target structures.

10 Jul 2014

Dental pulp stem cells can protect retinal ganglion cells from death following injury

Researchers at the University of Birmingham, UK, led by Dr. Ben Scheven, Dr. Wendy Leadbeater and Ben Mead have discovered that stem cells isolated from the teeth, termed dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), can protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from death following injury and promote regeneration of their axons along the optic nerve.

7 Jul 2014

MEF2 gene: A potential therapeutic target to protect neuronal loss in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

A new study by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) has identified a chemical "switch" that controls both the generation of new neurons from neural stem cells and the survival of existing nerve cells in the brain.

4 Jul 2014

Brain uses varying strategies to filter out distractions

You know the feeling? You are trying to dial a phone number from memory… you have to concentrate…. then someone starts shouting out other numbers nearby.

4 Jul 2014

Research finding may accelerate development of treatments for PTSD

Scientists at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University have identified a drug that appears to make memories of fearsome events less durable in mice.

1 Jul 2014

Novel method to measure neuron response to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain

Engineers and neuroscientists at Duke University have developed a method to measure the response of an individual neuron to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the brain. The advance will help researchers understand the underlying physiological effects of TMS -- a procedure used to treat psychiatric disorders -- and optimize its use as a therapeutic treatment.

30 Jun 2014

Light-sensitive molecule enables noninvasive silencing of neurons

Optogenetics, a technology that allows scientists to control brain activity by shining light on neurons, relies on light-sensitive proteins that can suppress or stimulate electrical signals within cells. This technique requires a light source to be implanted in the brain, where it can reach the cells to be controlled.

30 Jun 2014

Increasing clearance of ALS misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival

In work supported by The ALS Association, researchers have shown that increasing the clearance of misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival. The study was published today in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

30 Jun 2014

Researchers give new, unprecedented 3-D view of most important brain receptors

Researchers with Oregon Health & Science University's Vollum Institute have given science a new and unprecedented 3-D view of one of the most important receptors in the brain - a receptor that allows us to learn and remember, and whose dysfunction is involved in a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and depression.

28 Jun 2014

UCSB researchers explore genetic underpinnings of nerve-cell spacing

The functional organization of the central nervous system depends upon a precise architecture and connectivity of distinct types of neurons.

27 Jun 2014

Neuroscientists can control muscle movement by applying optogenetics

For the first time, MIT neuroscientists have shown they can control muscle movement by applying optogenetics - a technique that allows scientists to control neurons' electrical impulses with light - to the spinal cords of animals that are awake and alert.

27 Jun 2014

SOCIENTIZE project asks citizens to use their skills and time to advance scientific research

Would you like to help researchers understand the workings of our sun, or discover how large crowds of people can work together?

23 Jun 2014

Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The associations were stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies.

23 Jun 2014

Researchers explore genetic and cellular mechanisms of retinal development

The circuitry of the central nervous system is immensely complex and, as a result, sometimes confounding. When scientists conduct research to unravel the inner workings at a cellular level, they are sometimes surprised by what they find.

20 Jun 2014

Researchers explore how neurons establish spatial polarity and direction in tissues, organs

The question of how neurons and their axons establish spatial polarity and direction in tissues and organs is a fundamental question of any organism or biological system.

20 Jun 2014

Weizmann Institute scientists 'fingerprint' a culprit in depression and anxiety disorders

According the World Health Organization, such mood disorders as depression affect some 10% of the world's population and are associated with a heavy burden of disease. That is why numerous scientists around the world have invested a great deal of effort in understanding these diseases. Yet the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these problems are still only partly understood.

20 Jun 2014

Researchers develop new model of neural network

A newly-developed, highly accurate representation of the way in which neurons behave when performing movements such as reaching could not only enhance understanding of the complex dynamics at work in the brain, but aid in the development of robotic limbs which are capable of more complex and natural movements.

19 Jun 2014

New study on transmitophagy process may help treat diverse disorders

It's broadly assumed that cells degrade and recycle their own old or damaged organelles, but researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute have discovered that some neurons transfer unwanted mitochondria - the tiny power plants inside cells - to supporting glial cells called astrocytes for disposal.

18 Jun 2014

Neuron News and Research

Research finding could provide better understanding of severe mental illness

New study sheds light on role of RPM-1 protein in neuron development

Gene therapy can improve regenerative capacity of injured RGCs

Dental pulp stem cells can protect retinal ganglion cells from death following injury

MEF2 gene: A potential therapeutic target to protect neuronal loss in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

Brain uses varying strategies to filter out distractions

Research finding may accelerate development of treatments for PTSD

Novel method to measure neuron response to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain

Light-sensitive molecule enables noninvasive silencing of neurons

Increasing clearance of ALS misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival

Researchers give new, unprecedented 3-D view of most important brain receptors

UCSB researchers explore genetic underpinnings of nerve-cell spacing

Neuroscientists can control muscle movement by applying optogenetics

SOCIENTIZE project asks citizens to use their skills and time to advance scientific research

Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Researchers explore genetic and cellular mechanisms of retinal development

Researchers explore how neurons establish spatial polarity and direction in tissues, organs

Weizmann Institute scientists 'fingerprint' a culprit in depression and anxiety disorders

Researchers develop new model of neural network

New study on transmitophagy process may help treat diverse disorders

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

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