Astrocyte News and Research

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Findings reveal dramatic landscape of genetic changes in the brain in response to visual stimulation

"Nature and nurture is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed.

9 Feb 2018

Research funded by NIH grant aims to discover crucial role of 'invisible' cells

Neurons are the star of the show in brain science, but they don't work alone to process information. In new research funded by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a team at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory aims to discover the likely crucial role of the supporting cast member with a stellar-sounding name: the astrocyte.

9 Feb 2018

Star-shaped brain cells may help control rhythm of breathing, NIH study suggests

Traditionally, scientists thought that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes were steady, quiet supporters of their talkative, wire-like neighbors, called neurons. Now, an NIH study suggests that astrocytes may also have their say.

8 Feb 2018

MILabs completes installation of latest VECTor5CT system at University of Copenhagen

MILabs announced today that it has successfully completed the installation of its top-of-the-line multimodality PET-SPECT-UHR CT in the laboratory of Prof. Maiken Nedergaard, M.D, D.M.Sci. – Center for Translational Neuroscience, Division of Glial Disease and Therapeutics.

6 Feb 2018

Low dose alcohol everyday might actually "clean" the brain

A new study in mice has suggests that a couple of glasses of wine may actually “clean” the brain and not only clear the mind at the end of a long day. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports.

5 Feb 2018

Low levels of alcohol helps the brain clear away toxins, study shows

While a couple of glasses of wine can help clear the mind after a busy day, new research shows that it may actually help clean the mind as well.

2 Feb 2018

New study sheds light on important protein involved in memory formation

A team of researchers have made important discoveries about a protein called AKT that is key to the formation of new memories.

29 Jan 2018

Discovery may advance stem cell therapies, gene-targeting treatments for neurological diseases

New research from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is among the first to describe how an mRNA modification impacts the life of neural stem cells.

24 Jan 2018

Researchers find more precise, neuroprotective approach to fix MS-damaged nerves

Gene expression in specific cells and in specific regions can provide a more precise, neuroprotective approach than traditional treatments for neurological diseases.

26 Dec 2017

3D mini brains put researchers on a fast track to repair the nervous system

The Houston Methodist Research Institute is making mini brains from human stem cells that put researchers on a fast track to repair the nervous system after injury or disease of the brain and spinal cord.

8 Dec 2017

Overcoming Challenges of Assays of Complex Cellular Models with Real-Time Live-Cell Analysis

There's a continued drive towards making in vitro assays ever more translational towards in vivo models and ultimately the clinic. This ties in with the resurgence of phenotypic screening and is a response to the perceived poor translation of the traditional simple cell-based assays, often developed to study just single protein targets.

From Sartorius 5 Dec 2017

MUSC researchers develop ex vivo model of pressure-induced cellular injury in the brain

Hundreds of thousands of patients from newborns to the elderly are forced to grapple with the devastation of brain injury each year, and unlike many diseases where certain demographics are protected, brain injury can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere.

4 Dec 2017

Scientists develop new method to study Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the lab

Scientists have developed a new system to study Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the laboratory, paving the way for research to find treatments for the fatal brain disorder.

20 Nov 2017

Selectively deleting stem cell factor promotes recovery after TBI in mice

UT Southwestern molecular biologists today report the unexpected finding that selectively deleting a stem cell transcription factor in adult mice promotes recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

17 Nov 2017

Brain astrocytes could play key role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Astrocytes, the supporting cells of the brain, could play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. This is the first time researchers discovered a direct association between astrocytes and AD. Published in Stem Cell Reports, the study investigated the brain cell function of familial AD patients by using stem cell technologies.

17 Nov 2017

New research sheds light on negative effects of stress on the brain

Stress can have numerous harmful effects on the mind and body, both immediately and over long periods of time. New research reveals mechanisms by which stress exacts its toll throughout the body, from the brain to the male reproductive system, and points to potential paths for reducing the negative effects of stress.

13 Nov 2017

New biomarkers could help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injury through simple blood test

UCLA researchers have identified four biomarkers that could help doctors diagnose brain trauma and concussions through a simple blood test. The biomarkers are proteins, from brain cells called astrocytes, which are released instantly into the bloodstream when astrocytes' outer membranes rupture from blunt impact or whiplash trauma.

31 Oct 2017

Researchers identify link between circadian rhythm disturbance and brain dysfunction

Researchers at Okayama University describe in the Journal of Neuroscience that a certain protein known to play a major role in circadian rhythmicity — humans’ intrinsic 24-hour biological cycle — is also key to proper brain functioning.

31 Oct 2017

Researchers find link between disrupted energy production and late-onset Alzheimer's disease

A team of investigators from McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, led by Kai C. Sonntag, MD, PhD, and Bruce M. Cohen, MD, PhD, has found a connection between disrupted energy production and the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). The findings appear in the current issue of Scientific Reports.

27 Oct 2017

Astrocytes play important part in regulation of breathing, study shows

Star-shaped cells called astrocytes are much more than simple support cells in the brain. In a new study on mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrate that they also play a key part in the respiratory center of the brainstem and release inflammatory molecules that regulate breathing.

5 Oct 2017