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COVID-19 may damage the central nervous system

Researchers at University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, have provided important insights into the potential impact that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could have on the central nervous system.

21 May 2020

Study pinpoints electrophysiological mechanism behind upper motor neuron disease

Scientists from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Belgrade have pinpointed the electrophysiological mechanism behind upper motor neuron disease, unlocking the door to potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia and Primary Lateral Sclerosis.

21 May 2020

UBC scientists discover gene that plays a role in resisting weight gain

Why can some people eat as much as they want, and still stay thin?

21 May 2020

UCLA study shows link between diesel exhaust and risk of Parkinson's

A new UCLA study in zebrafish has identified the process by which air pollution can damage brain cells, potentially contributing to Parkinson's disease.

20 May 2020

Gene mutation linked to MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome

A collaboration between scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and clinicians at the Greenwood Genetic Center has yielded new findings about how a particular gene might regulate brain development.

19 May 2020

A minimally invasive approach to managing pain without opioids

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) are adopting a minimally invasive, safer approach to electrically treating pain directly at the source as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

19 May 2020

A new treatment option for activating cellular defenses against neurodegenerative disease

Talk about motherly instincts: Biologists at the University of Iowa have learned that female roundworms can alert their future offspring of dangers they will encounter when born, and the mothers pass on these warnings even before the offspring have been conceived.

19 May 2020

Neuroscientists discover anti-aging molecule that repairs age-related DNA damage

MIT neuroscientists have discovered that an enzyme called HDAC1 is critical for repairing age-related DNA damage to genes involved in memory and other cognitive functions.

18 May 2020

Researchers develop potential drug compound for treating cancer

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have developed a new and promising drug compound for the treatment of cancer that inhibits natural amino acids from entering cancer cells.

18 May 2020

New noninvasive ultrasound neuromodulation technique for epilepsy treatment

Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder characterized by recurrent seizures resulting from excessive excitation or inadequate inhibition of neurons.

15 May 2020

New imaging device can help detect early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a new imaging device capable of measuring both the thickness and texture of the various layers of the retina at the back of the eye.

15 May 2020

Researchers identify a group of dysregulated genes in autism

Autism has long been associated only with behavioral and environmental factors, but the role of genetics in its development is now increasingly evident. Some 100 genes have been found to play a role in autism spectrum disorder, and another thousand are being studied to the same end.

14 May 2020

Study: Neurons expressing dopamine D2 receptors have different molecular features, functions

An international collaboration, which included the involvement of the research team from the Institut de Neurociències of the UAB (INC-UAB), has shown that neurons expressing dopamine D2 receptors have different molecular features and functions, depending on their anatomical localization within the striatum.

14 May 2020

New weight loss amphetamine could potentially avoid harmful side effects

Despite being officially declared a chronic disease there are very few long-lasting and cost-effective treatments for obesity. Amphetamines are one of the few and they reportedly act in the brain to reduce appetite and increase locomotion or stamina.

13 May 2020

Processes underlying the damaging effects of brain injury can preserve memory function

A study examining the effect of the immune receptor known as Toll-like Receptor 4, or TLR4, on how memory functions in both the normal and injured brain has found vastly different cellular pathways contribute to the receptor's effects on excitability in the uninjured and injured brain.

13 May 2020

Scientists discover the 'brain's steering wheel' that controls mice’s movements

Walking is one of the most important motor skills for animals and humans. And for almost all people, being able to walk is deeply essential. In spite of this, researchers are still working to map out which signals and electrical impulses from the brain control our walking.

13 May 2020

New method allows researchers to guide neurons in 3D

Highly complex organisms can arise from a single cell, which is one of the true miracles of nature. Substances known as morphogens have an important role in this development, namely by signalling to cells where they should go and what they should do.

13 May 2020

Abnormal calcium levels in mitochondria may cause neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease

For the first time, using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have documented a link between raised levels of calcium in mitochondria and neuronal death in the living brain.

13 May 2020

UC Santa Barbara researcher receives NSF award to study the coordinated behavior of neural circuits

Everything we do comes down to a series of neural signals that translate into physical behaviors. We receive information through our senses, sensory neurons convert this information into electrical and chemical signals that are processed by other neurons in our brains and ultimately, motor neurons fire muscles that move our limbs.

12 May 2020

Odor habituation is driven by important signal filtering process, shows study

Imagine a dog playing in a garden and smelling all of these different flowery smells, and then somewhere in the distance a predator appears, like a fox.

12 May 2020