Neurons News and Research

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A new mechanism by which microtubule networks instruct neuronal polarity revealed

Prof. MENG Wenxiang's group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently reported a new mechanism by which microtubule networks instruct neuronal polarity.

21 Aug 2020

Study could reveal brain cells and circuits that influence human health and metabolism in response to dietary changes

A new federally funded study could reveal the nervous system cells and circuits in our brains that influence our metabolism and health in response to dietary changes.

21 Aug 2020

Combining expertise in organoids and sequencing technologies for ALS research

MDC researchers received a $150,000 pilot project grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Neurodegeneration Challenge Network to investigate a defining feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20 Aug 2020

Cells lining the nose are key entry point for coronavirus, shows study

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experimenting with a small number of human cell samples, report that the "hook" of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times more prevalent in the olfactory supporting cells lining the inside of the upper part of the nose than in the lining cells of the rest of the nose and windpipe that leads to the lungs.

20 Aug 2020

Study could help understand the evolution of nervous systems in animals and humans

When it comes to brain cells, one size does not fit all. Neurons come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and contain different types of brain chemicals. But how did they get that way?

20 Aug 2020

New approach to chronic pain treatment could bring relief

Something like a quarter of the world's population suffers from chronic pain at some point in their lives. As opposed to acute pain - for example, the feeling after hitting your finger with a hammer - chronic pain may not even have a clear cause, and it can linger for years or lifetimes.

19 Aug 2020

Gut microbiome may play a part in severe COVID-19

A recent study published on the preprint medRxiv* in August 2020 reports on the evidence that the gut microbiome may play a part in severe COVID-19 infection.

19 Aug 2020

Study fills crucial knowledge gaps on myasthenia gravis

A study of 181 patients at 16 sites across the country who test negative for two antibodies long known to cause muscle-weakening myasthenia gravis, found that about 15% test positive for one of two newly discovered antibodies that also attack the point of communication between nerves and muscle.

19 Aug 2020

New insights into how the brain's internal states influence decision-making

Biomedical Engineering's Matthew Smith and Byron Yu, along with former Ph.D. student Ben Cowley (School of Computer Science '18), have studied the neural basis through which internal states in the brain affect decision-making over an extended period of time.

17 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may protect critical brain cells from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

17 Aug 2020

Understanding the relationship between movement and vision

To get a better look at the world around them, animals constantly are in motion. Primates and people use complex eye movements to focus their vision (as humans do when reading, for instance); birds, insects, and rodents do the same by moving their heads, and can even estimate distances that way.

15 Aug 2020

Newly identified gene could improve treatment for multiple sclerosis

The disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the central nervous system and, with time, can give rise to muscle tremors and loss of balance.

14 Aug 2020

Scientists win grant to study brain's role in tracking odors

Seeking to unravel the mystery of how animals follow scent, a team of scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the University of Colorado Boulder and Columbia University, have won a grant to peer deeply inside the brain as the process takes place.

12 Aug 2020

Adaptive features of single neurons supply memory for language processing

To understand language, we have to remember the words that were uttered and combine them into an interpretation.

12 Aug 2020

Acupuncture can tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation

A team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has successfully used acupuncture to tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation.

12 Aug 2020

New techniques help replace malfunctioning microglia associated with neurological disorders

Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China have developed three different techniques that successfully replace almost all malfunctioning microglia - each technique with its own advantage in application

12 Aug 2020

Purdue University startup receives NIH grant to advance Alzheimer's research

A $2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health to Neurodon, a Purdue University-affiliated startup, will help fast-track molecules that could improve memory and reduce Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration.

12 Aug 2020

Research looks at convalescent plasma use in COVID-19 mouse model

A new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the utility of a mouse model that recapitulates several aspects of human COVID-19 and can reflect the antiviral efficacy of new drugs as well.

12 Aug 2020

New technology could serve as more reliable model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A new study published today demonstrates that a technology developed at the University of Central Florida could serve as a more reliable clinically-based model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a better screening tool for novel therapies than currently use preclinical models.

12 Aug 2020