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NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Scientists have reversed behavioral and brain abnormalities in adult mice that resemble some features of schizophrenia by restoring normal expression to a suspect gene that is over-expressed in humans with the illness.

23 May 2013

Research findings reveal promising new anti-addiction drug

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have unraveled the molecular foundations of cocaine's effects on the brain, and identified a compound that blocks cravings for the drug in cocaine-addicted mice.

23 May 2013

Difficult-to-interpret patterns important for complex brain functions

Many brain researchers cannot see the forest for the trees. When they use electrodes to record the activity patterns of individual neurons, the patterns often appear chaotic and difficult to interpret. "But when you zoom out from looking at individual cells, and observe a large number of neurons instead, their global activity is very informative," says Mattia Rigotti, a scientist at Columbia University and New York University who is supported by the SNSF and the Janggen-Pöhn-Stiftung.

21 May 2013

Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function, say life scientists from UCLA and Australia who have pinpointed the regions of the brain involved in creating those alternate pathways - often far from the damaged site.

17 May 2013

RIKEN researchers visualize memory formation for first time in zebrafish

In our interaction with our environment we constantly refer to past experiences stored as memories to guide behavioral decisions. But how memories are formed, stored and then retrieved to assist decision-making remains a mystery.

17 May 2013

Findings could help develop new approaches to treat depression and memory loss in the elderly

Scientists have known for some time that exercise induces neurogenesis in a specific brain region, the hippocampus. However, until this study, the underlying mechanism was not fully understood.

14 May 2013

Researchers identify clue to explain the reversible memory loss caused by statins

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and physicians continue to document that some patients experience fuzzy thinking and memory loss while taking statins, a class of global top-selling cholesterol-lowering drugs.

13 May 2013

Researchers reveal how genes are turned on and off during early human development

A large, multi-institutional research team involved in the NIH Epigenome Roadmap Project has published a sweeping analysis in the current issue of the journal Cell of how genes are turned on and off to direct early human development.

10 May 2013

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

How does San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval swat a 95 mph fastball, or tennis icon Venus Williams see the oncoming ball, let alone return her sister Serena's 120 mph serves? For the first time, vision scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed how the brain tracks fast-moving objects.

9 May 2013

Complex network of molecules controls formation and activity of neuronal connections

Environment moulds behaviour - and not just that of people in society, but also at the microscopic level. This is because, for their function, neurons are dependent on the cell environment, the so-termed extracellular matrix.

7 May 2013

Virtual reality reveals new clues on how cells determine place

Leaving the house in the morning may seem simple, but with every move we make, our brains are working feverishly to create maps of the outside world that allow us to navigate and to remember where we are.

4 May 2013

Neurons in the nose could be the key to early diagnosis of schizophrenia, says researcher

A debilitating mental illness, schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose. Because physiological evidence confirming the disease can only be gathered from the brain during an autopsy, mental health professionals have had to rely on a battery of psychological evaluations to diagnose their patients.

30 Apr 2013

Neuroscientists identify cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity

A team of American and Italian neuroscientists has identified a cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity. The findings could explain the body's tendency to maintain undesirable weight levels, rather than an ideal weight, and identify possible targets for pharmacological efforts to address obesity.

30 Apr 2013

CHMP recommends approval of NUEDEXTA for treatment of pseudobulbar affect

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion for NUEDEXTA (dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate), recommending NUEDEXTA be approved for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect, irrespective of neurologic cause.

29 Apr 2013

Novel strategy for characterizing RNAs transported from nerve cell to synapse

Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory.

26 Apr 2013

Neuralstem gets approval from FDA for dosing cohort patients in NSI-189 Phase Ib in MDD treatment

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin dosing the third and final cohort of patients in its ongoing Phase Ib to test the safety of NSI-189 in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

26 Apr 2013

Research on alpha-synuclein protein could lead to new therapies for Parkinson's disease

A protein known to be a key player in the development of Parkinson's disease is able to enter and harm cells in the same way that viruses do, according to a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study.

26 Apr 2013

Researchers identify key regulator that controls expansion and folding of brain during fetal development

During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex undergoes a marked expansion in surface area in some species, which is accommodated by folding of the tissue in species with most expanded neuron numbers and surface area. Researchers have now identified a key regulator of this crucial process.

26 Apr 2013

Study: Melatonin delays symptom onset, reduces mortality in mouse model of ALS

Melatonin injections delayed symptom onset and reduced mortality in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

25 Apr 2013

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-SMNRx Phase 2 study in infants with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study of ISIS-SMNRx in infants with spinal muscular atrophy. SMA is a severe and rare genetic neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness and is the most common genetic cause of infant mortality.

24 Apr 2013

Neuron News and Research

NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Research findings reveal promising new anti-addiction drug

Difficult-to-interpret patterns important for complex brain functions

Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

RIKEN researchers visualize memory formation for first time in zebrafish

Findings could help develop new approaches to treat depression and memory loss in the elderly

Researchers identify clue to explain the reversible memory loss caused by statins

Researchers reveal how genes are turned on and off during early human development

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

Complex network of molecules controls formation and activity of neuronal connections

Virtual reality reveals new clues on how cells determine place

Neurons in the nose could be the key to early diagnosis of schizophrenia, says researcher

Neuroscientists identify cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity

CHMP recommends approval of NUEDEXTA for treatment of pseudobulbar affect

Novel strategy for characterizing RNAs transported from nerve cell to synapse

Neuralstem gets approval from FDA for dosing cohort patients in NSI-189 Phase Ib in MDD treatment

Research on alpha-synuclein protein could lead to new therapies for Parkinson's disease

Researchers identify key regulator that controls expansion and folding of brain during fetal development

Study: Melatonin delays symptom onset, reduces mortality in mouse model of ALS

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-SMNRx Phase 2 study in infants with SMA

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