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Frequent peak air pollution exposure associated with reduced test scores for third graders

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the tiny particles responsible for hazy air pollution, are detrimental to children's health even inside the classroom. Mounting evidence has linked chronic exposure with poor academic performance in K-12 students.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers decode brain maps of human color perception

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have decoded brain maps of human color perception. The findings, published today in Current Biology, open a window into how color processing is organized in the brain, and how the brain recognizes and groups colors in the environment.

17 Nov 2020

CMU researchers develop new technique for isolating brain cells associated with Parkinson's disease

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new technique for isolating a type of brain cell associated with Parkinson's disease symptoms, enabling them to study that cell type in detail.

16 Nov 2020

Study may lead to new therapies that accelerate removal of cellular debris from the brain

Microglia -- the brain's immune cells -- play a primary role in removing cellular debris from the brain. According to a recent study by a Nagoya University-led research team in Japan, another kind of brain cell, called astrocyte, is also involved in removing debris as a backup to microglia.

11 Nov 2020

HKUST researchers identify new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have identified new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease (AD) by studying the patients' brain with a newly-developed methodology.

5 Nov 2020

Researchers identify distinct link between autism and brain cell abnormalities

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that new experiments with genetically engineered mice have found clear connections among a range of autism types and abnormalities in brain cells whose chemical output forges platonic (non-sexual) feelings of love and sociability.

30 Oct 2020

Improving sleep after trauma exposure may ease negative consequences

Increasing the amount of time spent asleep immediately after a traumatic experience may ease any negative consequences, suggests a new study conducted by researchers at Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

22 Oct 2020

Virginia Tech doctoral candidate wins NIH award to fuse immunology and neuroscience research

Gabriela Carrillo didn't always aspire to be a neuroscientist. It wasn't until she was providing in-home behavioral analysis therapy for children with autism that she was drawn to the lab.

22 Oct 2020

Study reveals why oxygen deficiency impairs brain cells

Brain cell dysfunction in low oxygen is, surprisingly, caused by the very same responder system that is intended to be protective, according to a new published study by a team of researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

22 Oct 2020

Gut hormone found to be key regulator of new nerve cells in the adult brain

A gut hormone, ghrelin, is a key regulator of new nerve cells in the adult brain, a Swansea-led research team has discovered. It could help pave the way for new drugs to treat dementia in patients with Parkinson's Disease.

21 Oct 2020

Penn State researcher leads $3.8 million project to create an atlas of developing mice brains

A grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow a Penn State College of Medicine researcher to lead a three-year, multi-institution project to create an atlas of developing mice brains.

13 Oct 2020

Research uncovers potential cause of neurotoxicity due to immunotherapy

New research has uncovered the previously unknown presence of CD19 -- a B cell molecule targeted by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy to treat leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma -- in brain cells that protect the blood brain barrier (BBB).

21 Sep 2020

Astrocytes are essential for blood-brain barrier health, shows study

Hard skulls help protect our brains from physical injuries.In addition to a tough outer shell, brains have internal defenses, including a powerful shield called the blood-brain barrier that defends brain cells from substances in the bloodstream that are toxic and dangerous to nerve cells. If the blood-brain barrier is breached, then health problems arise.

21 Sep 2020

Computer model can replicate the unique firing-rate dependent behavior of Purkinje neurons

Research conducted by the Computational Neuroscience Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University has shown for the first time that a computer model can replicate and explain a unique property displayed by a crucial brain cell.

8 Sep 2020

New insights into how the brain can induce diabetes remission in rodents

In rodents with type 2 diabetes, a single surgical injection of a protein called fibroblast growth factor 1 can restore blood sugar levels to normal for weeks or months. Yet how this growth factor acts in the brain to generate this lasting benefit has been poorly understood.

7 Sep 2020