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Scientists discover three susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy

An international research team, co-led by scientists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, have discovered three potential susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease but is resistant to Parkinson's medications.

20 Jun 2011

Scientists discover Sonic Hedgehog protein's mechanism of action

A scientific breakthrough by researchers at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) will be published tomorrow in Developmental Cell, a scientific journal of the Cell Press group. Led by Dr. Frédéric Charron, the team of scientists discovered a new requirement for the proper functioning of the Sonic Hedgehog protein.

14 Jun 2011

Scientists find novel form of brain plasticity

Scientists have known for years that neurogenesis takes place throughout adulthood in the hippocampus of the mammalian brain. Now Columbia researchers have found that under stressful conditions, neural stem cells in the adult hippocampus can produce not only neurons, but also new stem cells.

14 Jun 2011

Synaptophysin controls replacement of vesicles

A University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has solved a 25-year mystery that may lead to better treatments for people with learning deficits and mental retardation.

9 Jun 2011

Repligen total revenue increases 30% to $27,291,000 for fiscal year 2011

Repligen Corporation today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011, ended March 31, 2011.

9 Jun 2011

Key molecule of vascular system directs axons during neural circuit formation

Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), and his team have shown for the first time that a key molecule of the vascular system directs axons during the formation of neural circuits.

9 Jun 2011

High-fat diet may cause brain nerve cell injury

Obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet may involve injury to neurons, or nerve cells, in a key part of the brain that controls body weight, according to the authors of a new animal study. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

9 Jun 2011

Autism caused by hundreds of different genetic mutations: Study

New research shows that autism is not caused by one or two gene defects but probably by hundreds of different mutations, many of which arise spontaneously. This comes from the study that has examined the genes of more than 1,000 families.

9 Jun 2011

New research on spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies."

8 Jun 2011

New neurons may take over six months to mature

New neurons take more than six months to mature in adult monkeys and that time is likely even longer in humans, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the University of Illinois, and Pennsylvania State University.

8 Jun 2011

Consumption of high-fat food causes more insulin to be released by the pancreas and leads to obesity

Fat-rich food makes you fat. Behind this simple equation lie complex signalling pathways, through which the neurotransmitters in the brain control the body's energy balance.

7 Jun 2011

Exposure to pesticides near any workplace increases risk of Parkinson's disease

In April 2009, researchers at UCLA announced they had discovered a link between Parkinson's disease and two chemicals commonly sprayed on crops to fight pests.

27 May 2011

Cognitive decline incidence higher in southern ‘stroke belt’

New research shows that residents of the Stroke Belt—a southern portion of the U.S. with significantly elevated stroke morality rate—also have a greater incidence of cognitive decline than other regions of the country. Researchers believe shared risk factors among members of this population are to blame. Results of this study, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), are published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association.

26 May 2011

Gestational high-fat diet programs woman's baby for future diabetes

A high-fat diet during pregnancy may program a woman's baby for future diabetes, even if she herself is not obese or diabetic, says a new University of Illinois study published in the Journal of Physiology.

26 May 2011

New insight into how genes and proteins go awry in autism to alter the mind

For decades, autism researchers have faced a baffling riddle: how to unravel a disorder that leaves no known physical trace as it develops in the brain.

26 May 2011

Comprehensive insight into current neural stem cell research and therapies

A new article published by Cell Press in the May 26 issue of the journal Neuron provides comprehensive insight into the current status of neural stem cell research and the sometimes labyrinthine pathways leading to stem cell-based therapies.

26 May 2011

Discovery of possible new strategy for treating neurologic disorders

Johns Hopkins scientists say that a newly discovered "survival protein" protects the brain against the effects of stroke in rodent brain tissue by interfering with a particular kind of cell death that's also implicated in complications from diabetes and heart attack.

23 May 2011

Electrical disturbances in injured brain lead to poor recovery

Electrical disturbances that spread through an injured brain like tsunamis have a direct link to poor recovery and can last far longer than previously realized, researchers at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute have found.

20 May 2011

Repligen receives approval from FDA to commence RG3039 Phase 1 trial in Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Repligen Corporation announced today that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of RG3039, a potential treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

19 May 2011

Synthetic nanopatch helps regenerate natural heart tissue cells

When you suffer a heart attack, a part of your heart dies. Nerve cells in the heart's wall and a special class of cells that spontaneously expand and contract - keeping the heart beating in perfect synchronicity - are lost forever. Surgeons can't repair the affected area. It's as if when confronted with a road riddled with potholes, you abandon what's there and build a new road instead.

19 May 2011