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Researchers unravel mechanism by which hippocampal stem cells regulate their own fate

To date, it has been assumed that the differentiation of stem cells depends on the environment they are embedded in.

18 Aug 2016

Could nanotechnology turn the cancer cell suicide switch back on? An interview with Professor Dipanjan Pan

Before I explain the discovery, I would take a step back and explain an interesting event that takes place in the cancer cells. Normal cells follow a rapid and irreversible process to efficiently eradicate dysfunctional cells. This is a natural process by which damaged cells commit ‘suicide’. This process is known as apoptosis or programmed cell death.

15 Aug 2016

Glia cells may play role in regulating sugar intake into the brain, experts report

Researchers at Technical University of Munich discovered that our brain actively takes sugar from the blood. Prior to this, researchers around the world had assumed that this was a purely passive process.

12 Aug 2016

USC researchers discover two Zika proteins potentially responsible for microcephaly

USC researchers have tracked down two Zika proteins potentially responsible for thousands of microcephaly cases in Brazil and elsewhere — taking one small step toward preventing Zika-infected mothers from birthing babies with abnormally small heads.

11 Aug 2016

Overcoming gene silencing barriers to target neurological conditions: an interview with Dr Errol de Souza

Many gene mutations that cause neurological disorders have been identified. For example, in a rare neurological disorder such as Huntington’s disease, an autosomal dominant mutation through expansion of CAG (cytosine-adenine-guanine) triplet repeats in the gene coding for the Huntingtin protein results in abnormal protein production.

1 Aug 2016

New book details role of astrocytes in epileptic brain tissue

Present throughout human history, epilepsy is a devastating group of neurological disorders characterized by periodic and unpredictable seizure activity in the brain.

28 Jul 2016

Good ceramides in skin creams and shampoos may hold promise for Alzheimer's treatment

The best-selling lipid in the world, often prominently featured on skin cream and shampoo labels, appears to also hold promise for Alzheimer's treatment, scientists say.

25 Jul 2016

Researchers identify astroglia-mediated mechanism for causing FXS symptoms in mice

A study published today in the Journal of Neuroscience led by Yongjie Yang of Tufts University School of Medicine identifies an astroglial trigger mechanism as contributing to symptoms of fragile X syndrome in mice.

6 Jul 2016

Scientists provide new insights into role of star-shaped brain cells in memory, learning

A molecule that enables strong communication between our brain and muscles appears to also aid essential communication between our neurons, scientists report.

23 Jun 2016

Stroke can cause long-term damage to blood-spinal cord barrier, study finds

A team of researchers at the University of South Florida investigating the short and long-term effects of ischemic stroke in a rodent model has found that stroke can cause long-term damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), creating a "toxic environment" in the spinal cord that might leave stroke survivors susceptible to motor dysfunction and disease pathology.

14 Jun 2016

Mice implanted with human glia cells exhibit reduced symptoms of Huntington's disease

Researchers have successfully reduced the symptoms and slowed the progression of Huntington's disease in mice using healthy human brain cells. The findings, which were published today in the journal Nature Communications, could ultimately point to a new method to treat the disease.

7 Jun 2016

New study identifies PDGFRα as key molecule for HCMV viral entry

A publication in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology identifies PDGFRα as the receptor for the trimeric gHgLgO complex of Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV).

7 Jun 2016

Gene therapy shows promise in treating glioblastoma

A team from the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste has obtained very promising results by applying gene therapy to glioblastoma.

13 May 2016

Experimental therapy stops glioblastoma, high-grade gliomas in human cells and mouse models

Researchers report in the journal Cancer Cell an experimental therapy that in laboratory tests on human cells and mouse models stops aggressive, treatment-resistant and deadly brain cancers called glioblastoma and high-grade gliomas.

10 May 2016

Level of salts in the brain play critical role in controlling sleep-wake cycle

Danish research is behind a new epoch-making discovery, which may prove decisive to future brain research. The level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we are asleep or awake. This discovery may be of great importance to research on psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and convulsive fits from lack of sleep as well as post-anaesthetization confusion, according to Professor Maiken Nedergaard.

30 Apr 2016

New miniaturized microscope offers unprecedented insight into nervous system function

A microscope about the size of a penny is giving scientists a new window into the everyday activity of cells within the spinal cord. The innovative technology revealed that astrocytes--cells in the nervous system that do not conduct electrical signals and were traditionally viewed as merely supportive--unexpectedly react to intense sensation.

28 Apr 2016

Group of gamma-protocadherins linked with neurons help regulate growth of dendrites

When you think of a neuron, imagine a tree. A healthy brain cell indeed looks like a tree with a full canopy. There's a trunk, which is the cell's nucleus; there's a root system, embodied in a single axon; and there are the branches, called dendrites.

28 Apr 2016

Altered metabolism of two essential amino acids helps drive development of glioblastoma

The altered metabolism of two essential amino acids helps drive the development of the most common and lethal form of brain cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

2 Apr 2016

Synchronized waves of calcium in the brain can reduce depressive symptoms

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered that the benefits of stimulating the brain with direct current come from its effects on astrocytes -- not neurons -- in the mouse brain.

23 Mar 2016

CIRM approves $6.3 million grant to support research on novel stem cell-based therapy for ALS

The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine approved yesterday a $6.3 million grant to a research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, Davis to pursue a novel human embryonic stem cell-based therapy to rescue and restore neurons devastated by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS.

18 Mar 2016