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Scientists find that psychiatric disorders may be linked to protein involved in memory formation

Researchers have discovered a pathway by which the brain controls a molecule critical to forming long-term memories and connected with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

17 Jun 2013

Scientists discover key mechanism that boosts signalling function of neurons in the brain

Scientists working under the leadership of neurobiologists Nils Brose and Erwin Neher at the Max Planck Institutes of Experimental Medicine and Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen have now discovered an important molecular mechanism that turns neurons into true masters of adaptation.

14 Jun 2013

IBM, EPFL and ETH Zürich explore new hybrid memory strategy for supercomputers

Motivated by extraordinary requirements for neuroscience, IBM Research, EPFL, and ETH Zürich through the Swiss National Supercomputing Center CSCS, are exploring how to combine different types of memory - DRAM, which is standard for computer memory, and flash memory that is akin to USB sticks - for less expensive and optimal supercomputing performance.

13 Jun 2013

Optogenetics: A promising technique for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders

By applying light stimulation to highly specific neurons in the brain, the researchers managed to re-establish normal behaviour in mice that had beforehand presented pathological repetitive behaviour similar to that observed in human patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders.

10 Jun 2013

Study sheds light on origin of wide range of brain disorders

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have uncovered a mechanism that guides the exquisite wiring of neural circuits in a developing brain -- gaining unprecedented insight into the faulty circuits that may lead to brain disorders ranging from autism to mental retardation.

10 Jun 2013

Researchers find way to differentiate iPSCs into mature human neurons in the brain

Difficult-to-study diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and autism now can be probed more safely and effectively thanks to an innovative new method for obtaining mature brain cells called neurons from reprogrammed skin cells. According to Gong Chen, the Verne M. Willaman Chair in Life Sciences and professor of biology at Penn State University and the leader of the research team, "the most exciting part of this research is that it offers the promise of direct disease modeling, allowing for the creation, in a Petri dish, of mature human neurons that behave a lot like neurons that grow naturally in the human brain."

10 Jun 2013

Researchers mobilize brain's native stem cells to replenish neuron lost in Huntington's disease

Researchers have been able to mobilize the brain's native stem cells to replenish a type of neuron lost in Huntington's disease.

7 Jun 2013

Researchers provide insights into potential therapeutic approaches to Down syndrome

University of Michigan researchers have determined how a gene that is known to be defective in Down syndrome is regulated and how its dysregulation may lead to neurological defects, providing insights into potential therapeutic approaches to an aspect of the syndrome.

6 Jun 2013

New research suggests that surgical anesthesia may also have lasting effects on adult brains

As pediatric specialists become increasingly aware that surgical anesthesia may have lasting effects on the developing brains of young children, new research suggests the threat may also apply to adult brains.

6 Jun 2013

Research demonstrates need for development of new treatments for regeneration of nerve cells

Researchers at the University of Michigan have evidence that a single gene controls both halves of nerve cells, and their research demonstrates the need to consider that design in the development of new treatments for regeneration of nerve cells.

5 Jun 2013

Research: RG3039 drug can extend survival, improve function in spinal muscular atrophy mouse models

In a new publication that appears in Human Molecular Genetics, the laboratory of Christine DiDonato, PhD reports on their pharmacological characterization of the drug RG3039, demonstrating that it can extend survival and improve function in two spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) mouse models.

5 Jun 2013

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

Canadian researcher Edor Kabashi of the Université de Montréal has developed the first animal model to study the function of a gene responsible for the highest percentage of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Results to date shed light on the cause of the devastating disease.

4 Jun 2013

People with narcolepsy have increased number of neurons that produce histamine

A new study provides surprising evidence that people with narcolepsy have an increased number of neurons that produce histamine, suggesting that histamine signaling may be a novel therapeutic target for this potentially disabling sleep disorder.

4 Jun 2013

Study points to synergistic relationship between lead exposure and schizophrenia gene

Mice engineered with a human gene for schizophrenia and exposed to lead during early life exhibited behaviors and structural changes in their brains consistent with schizophrenia.

1 Jun 2013

Researchers tie traumatic brain injury to toxic form of protein

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have uncovered what may be a key molecular mechanism behind the lasting damage done by traumatic brain injury.

30 May 2013

Protein presenilin plays critical role in controlling neuronal traffic on microtubule highways

Imagine if you could open up your brain and look inside. What you would see is a network of nerve cells called neurons, each with its own internal highway system for transporting essential materials between different parts of the cell.

29 May 2013

IUPUI assistant professor earns NSF CAREER Award for research on the brain

An assistant professor of computer science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has earned the prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for research to identify the patterns by which neurons develop and connect to form a brain.

29 May 2013

Transplantation of human stem cells improves muscle function in rats used to model ALS

Transplantation of human stem cells in an experiment conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison improved survival and muscle function in rats used to model ALS, a nerve disease that destroys nerve control of muscles, causing death by respiratory failure.

29 May 2013

Research discovery may lead to development of new therapies for neurological disorders

For several years, the pharmaceutical industry has tried to develop drugs that target a specific neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, the NMDA receptor. This receptor is present on almost every neuron in the human brain and is involved in learning and memory. NMDA receptors also have been implicated in several neurological and psychiatric conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and depression.

29 May 2013

Single injection of human neural stem cells improves acute spinal cord injuries in rats

An international team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that a single injection of human neural stem cells produced neuronal regeneration and improvement of function and mobility in rats impaired by an acute spinal cord injury.

28 May 2013

Neuron News and Research

Scientists find that psychiatric disorders may be linked to protein involved in memory formation

Scientists discover key mechanism that boosts signalling function of neurons in the brain

IBM, EPFL and ETH Zürich explore new hybrid memory strategy for supercomputers

Optogenetics: A promising technique for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders

Study sheds light on origin of wide range of brain disorders

Researchers find way to differentiate iPSCs into mature human neurons in the brain

Researchers mobilize brain's native stem cells to replenish neuron lost in Huntington's disease

Researchers provide insights into potential therapeutic approaches to Down syndrome

New research suggests that surgical anesthesia may also have lasting effects on adult brains

Research demonstrates need for development of new treatments for regeneration of nerve cells

Research: RG3039 drug can extend survival, improve function in spinal muscular atrophy mouse models

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

People with narcolepsy have increased number of neurons that produce histamine

Study points to synergistic relationship between lead exposure and schizophrenia gene

Researchers tie traumatic brain injury to toxic form of protein

Protein presenilin plays critical role in controlling neuronal traffic on microtubule highways

IUPUI assistant professor earns NSF CAREER Award for research on the brain

Transplantation of human stem cells improves muscle function in rats used to model ALS

Research discovery may lead to development of new therapies for neurological disorders

Single injection of human neural stem cells improves acute spinal cord injuries in rats

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