Neurons News and Research

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Study may pave for new therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease

Researchers have uncovered a link between the structure of the protein alpha-synuclein and its likelihood to misfold and aggregate.

5 Jun 2020

Experts debate over future Parkinson’s disease trial involving growth factors

Growth factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were initially thought to be exciting new treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD), but trials have been disappointing.

5 Jun 2020

Natural molecules that stimulate dopamine production may help reverse Parkinson's disease

Investigators have identified two molecules naturally produced by the body that stimulate the production of dopamine, the molecule that is in short supply in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease.

4 Jun 2020

Intranasal delivery of MSC-EVs shows promise for treating Alzheimer's disease

In the search for a cure for Alzheimer's disease, mesenchymal stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) offer much promise, thanks to their protective and anti-inflammatory properties.

4 Jun 2020

Hairy human skin grown from pluripotent stem cells

Building on years of groundbreaking discoveries in stem cell research, scientists from Indiana University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have determined how to grow hairy skin using human stem cells--developing one of the most complex skin models in the world.

4 Jun 2020

Effects of chronic stress associated with increased inflammatory signaling within brain circuits

Anxiety and depression are significantly heightened during times of great stress such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

4 Jun 2020

Brain activity studies are not as useful as previously thought

Hundreds of published studies over the last decade have claimed it's possible to predict an individual's patterns of thoughts and feelings by scanning their brain in an MRI machine as they perform some mental tasks.

3 Jun 2020

AFFiRiS announces preclinical results of monoclonal antibody mAB C6-17 in Huntington's

AFFiRiS, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel disease-modifying specific active immunotherapies, today announced that detailed preclinical results with its monoclonal antibody mAB C6-17 to treat Huntington's Disease were published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Disease.

3 Jun 2020

Scientists uncover why developing nerve cells take a wrong turn

A group of scientists from CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence 'Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases,' have found a mechanism by which neurodevelopmental diseases concerning neurons can be explained: The loss of a certain enzyme, UBE2K, impeded the differentiation of stem cells by silencing the expression of genes important for neuronal differentiation and, therefore, the development and generation of neurons.

3 Jun 2020

Does smoking increase COVID-19 risk?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to smolder and smoke in many parts of the world, with over 100,000 cases, and more than 3,000 deaths reported every day. Many factors are responsible for the higher risk of infection in certain specific population subgroups are known.

2 Jun 2020

Study shows Sofosbuvir alleviates COVID-19-related neurological symptoms

A group of researchers has studied the effects of an antiviral drug Sofosbuvir on human brain organoids infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Jun 2020

Stanford researchers develop optical technique to show how decisions light up the brain

When we make even simple decisions about how to interact with the world, we rely on computations performed by networks of neurons that span our brains. But what exactly are these neural networks computing?

2 Jun 2020

Breakthrough discovery could lead to treatment of Fragile X syndrome

Scientists at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Owerko Centre at UCalgary's Cumming School of Medicine have made a breakthrough discovery that could lead to treatment of Fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

2 Jun 2020

Study examines how cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition relate to brain health

A new study led by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology examined how cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition relate to neuronal health in 290 healthy young adults.

2 Jun 2020

Study: High estrogen levels may influence alcohol use disorder

A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago shows that high estrogen levels may make alcohol more rewarding to female mice.

2 Jun 2020

Stem cell model sheds new light on the devastating process of neurodegeneration

A new study published today in Neuron led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute's Valentina Fossati, Ph.D., creates astrocytes - an integral support cell in the brain - from stem cells and shows that in disease-like environments, these normally helpful cells can turn into neuron-killers.

1 Jun 2020

Reducing inflammation improves stroke recovery, may extend window for therapy

Reperfusion therapy, the gold standard for stroke treatment, helps restore blood flow after a stroke caused by a clot, preventing loss of brain tissue. However, only about 10% of stroke patients qualify, in part because of reperfusion therapy's narrow treatment window.

1 Jun 2020

Research suggests new approach to therapeutic intervention for ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most devastating adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases. Patients, including the late actor/playwright Sam Shepard, become progressively weaker and eventually paralyzed as their motor neurons degenerate and die.

1 Jun 2020

Out-of-sync gamma waves in the brain may underlie learning issues in psychiatric disorders

A new UC San Francisco study has pinpointed a specific pattern of brain waves that underlies the ability to let go of old, irrelevant learned associations to make way for new updates.

1 Jun 2020