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Protein SV2A levels could explain poor neuronal connections in schizophrenia

A team of researchers have found that persons with schizophrenia may have lower levels of certain specific proteins that show up on their brain scans. This could help as diagnostic tools, say experts. The new study titled, “Synaptic density marker SV2A is reduced in schizophrenia patients and unaffected by antipsychotics in rats”, is published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications.

14 Jan 2020

Overactivation of neuroimmune gene leads to schizophrenia-like changes in mice

Excessive activity of an immune system gene previously linked to schizophrenia reproduces neural and behavioral aspects of the disease in mice, according to a new study publishing on January 14 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ashley Comer and Alberto Cruz-Martín of Boston University and colleagues.

14 Jan 2020

Research suggests a new role for neurogenesis

The ability to create new neurons may exist as built-in protection for sensitive brain areas, according to research in mice recently published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 14 Jan 2020

Discovery could lead to new treatments for hypertension, dementia

A study led by researchers at UCL has discovered the mechanism that allows the brain to monitor its own blood supply, a finding in rats which may help to find new treatments for human conditions including hypertension (high blood pressure) and dementia.

14 Jan 2020

A protein found in ovarian cancer may contribute to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease

Houston Methodist scientists identified a protein found in ovarian cancer that may contribute to declining brain function and Alzheimer's disease, by combining computational methods and lab research.

13 Jan 2020

Mice study offers new insight on irritable bowel syndrome

Sometimes the end of an intestinal infection is just the beginning of more misery. Of those who contract traveler's diarrhea, for example, an unlucky few go on to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.

12 Jan 2020

Study: Understanding second-degree burns is key to treating these complications

New research shows how second-degree burns cause hard-to-treat chronic pain, and this understanding may be key to treating these complications, common in war veterans.

10 Jan 2020

New wireless, light-activated electrode advances neural stimulation

Neural stimulation is a pioneering technology that can be used to recover function and improve the quality of life for individuals who suffer from brain injury or disease.

9 Jan 2020

Mohamad Khazaei receives SCTM’s Young Investigator Award

Mohamad Khazaei, Ph.D., scientific associate in Dr. Michael Fehlings' lab at Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, is the latest recipient of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine's (SCTM) Young Investigator Award.

9 Jan 2020

Missing a key protein in the brain can cause autism-like behaviors

Scientists at Rutgers University-Newark have discovered that when a key protein needed to generate new brain cells during prenatal and early childhood development is missing, part of the brain goes haywire - causing an imbalance in its circuitry that can lead to long-term cognitive and movement behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorder.

9 Jan 2020

Research may open new avenues for big advance in neuroprostheses

Once you learn a skill like tying your sneakers, you can perform it consistently over the years. This suggests the neural activity in the brain associated with the skill remains stable over time.

9 Jan 2020

Researchers develop 'flash and freeze' method for studying nerve connections

Uniting structure and function of synapses is challenging: Function is studied in living tissue, measuring electrical signals at millisecond precision with electrophysiology, while the observation of fine structure at nanometer scale requires tissue to be fixed for electron microscopy.

9 Jan 2020

New AI system determines aggressiveness of prostate cancer better than most pathologists

Researchers at Radboud university medical center have developed a 'deep learning' system that is better than most pathologists at determining the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. The AI system, which uses tissue samples to arrive at its diagnosis, taught itself to identify prostate cancer based on data from over 1200 patients.

9 Jan 2020

Environmental light required for maintaining long-term memories

Maintaining long-term memories requires environmental light, according to research in fruit flies recently published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 9 Jan 2020

Boosting the number of neurons improves learning and memory of old mice

We all will experience it at some point, unfortunately: The older we get the more our brains will find it difficult to learn and remember new things.

9 Jan 2020

Specific group of immune cells may influence Alzheimer’s disease

A new study has revealed that the immune system plays a crucial and previously unidentified role in Alzheimer's disease.

9 Jan 2020

Findings may lead to potential therapeutic strategies for rare neurodevelopmental disorder

The brain undergoes dramatic change during the first years of life. Its circuits readily rewire as an infant and then child encounters new sights and sounds, taking in the world and learning to understand it.

9 Jan 2020

New screening platform helped scientists to discover drug-like compounds

A sophisticated new screening platform developed by scientists at Scripps Research has enabled them to discover a set of drug-like compounds, including an ingredient found in sore throat lozenges, that may powerfully protect brain cells from dangerous stresses found in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

9 Jan 2020

Missing one night of sleep may increase Alzheimer's biomarker, study finds

A preliminary study has found that when young, healthy men were deprived of just one night of sleep, they had higher levels of tau, a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, in their blood than when they had a full, uninterrupted night of rest.

8 Jan 2020