Brain Cell News and Research

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Study: Different strains of same protein may contribute to different Parkinson's-related brain disorders

Different Parkinson's-related brain disorders, called synucleionpathies, are characterized by misfolded proteins embedded in cells.

10 May 2018

Astrocyte-targeted treatment may help alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

A study by scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases points to a novel potential approach against Alzheimer's disease.

4 May 2018

Exploiting rabies virus machinery to usher Parkinson's disease drug directly to the brain

The rabies virus wreaks havoc on the brain, triggering psychosis and death. To get where it needs to go, the virus must first trick the nervous system and cross the blood brain barrier -- a process that makes it of interest in drug design.

25 Apr 2018

Viruses can exploit a suprising weakness of brain cells to spark hydrocephalus

Viruses may spark hydrocephalus by exploiting a suprising weakness of cells that circulate fluid in the brain, says a new study by Duke University scientists.

25 Apr 2018

Large ALS-causing protein aggregates protect rather than harm neurons

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made a significant advance in the understanding of the complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

17 Apr 2018

Receptor that detects heat of red chili pepper may help protect the brain after TBI

A receptor on our immune cells that can detect both the heat of a red chili pepper and the extreme physical heat of a pizza oven may help protect the brain following a traumatic brain injury, scientists say.

13 Apr 2018

Novel method enables researchers to see interaction of star-shaped brain cells in real time

An advance by UCLA neuroscientists could lead to a better understanding of astrocytes, a star-shaped brain cell believed to play a key role in neurological disorders like Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease.

4 Apr 2018

Leukemia itself may increase risk for long-term neurocognitive problems in survivors

Leukemia itself, not just side effects related to its treatment, may increase the risk for long-term problems with attention, organization and related neurocognitive skills in survivors of the most common childhood cancer, according to research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The study appears today in the journal JAMA Oncology.

29 Mar 2018

UTSW study reveals mechanisms underlying development of Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma

A delicate balance during brain development could have profound implications for understanding and treating medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor affecting children.

29 Mar 2018

Scientists demonstrate successful implementation of prosthetic memory system

Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the University of Southern California (USC) have demonstrated the successful implementation of a prosthetic system that uses a person's own memory patterns to facilitate the brain's ability to encode and recall memory.

28 Mar 2018

Frequent and public opioid users may be best candidates for naloxone training

In response to America's opioid crisis, public health departments and community organizations across the country have started to train opioid users to reverse overdoses in other users with the opioid-blocker naloxone.

26 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover link between Parkinson’s disease mutations and plaque formation in the brain

Working with lab-grown human brain cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have uncovered a much sought-after connection between one of the most common genetic mutations in Parkinson's disease and the formation of fatty plaques in the brain thought to contribute to the destruction of motor neurons that characterize the disease.

15 Mar 2018

NIH researchers explore genetic clocks to understand role of aging in neurodegeneration

To understand the link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, NIH scientists compared the genetic clocks that tick during the lives of normal and mutant flies.

14 Mar 2018

UNC gene therapy scientists uncover viral barcode to penetrate blood-brain barrier

Gene therapies promise to revolutionize the treatment of many diseases, including neurological diseases such as ALS. But the small viruses that deliver therapeutic genes can have adverse side effects at high doses.

11 Feb 2018

Discovery may offer new therapeutic approach for kids with Prader-Willi syndrome

Stem cell researchers at UConn Health have reversed Prader-Willi syndrome in brain cells growing in the lab, findings they recently published in the Human Molecular Genetics.

27 Jan 2018

Repurposed drug effectively protects against Zika virus in mouse models

In both cell cultures and mouse models, a drug used to treat Hepatitis C effectively protected and rescued neural cells infected by the Zika virus -- and blocked transmission of the virus to mouse fetuses.

25 Jan 2018

Study finds new brainstem changes in Parkinson’s disease

A pioneering study has found that patients with Parkinson's disease have more errors in the mitochondrial DNA within the brainstem, leading to increased cell death in that area.

4 Jan 2018

Researchers find more precise, neuroprotective approach to fix MS-damaged nerves

Gene expression in specific cells and in specific regions can provide a more precise, neuroprotective approach than traditional treatments for neurological diseases.

26 Dec 2017

Scientists elucidate why exercise slows progression of Parkinson's disease

While vigorous exercise on a treadmill has been shown to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease in patients, the molecular reasons behind it have remained a mystery.

22 Dec 2017

Researchers explore how toxic protein clusters linked to Parkinson's disrupt brain cells

Researchers have glimpsed how the toxic protein clusters that are associated with Parkinson's Disease disrupt the membranes of healthy brain cells, creating defects in the cell walls and eventually causing a series of events that induce neuronal death.

15 Dec 2017