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Discovery of potent compound in native California shrub may lead to treatment for Alzheimer's

The medicinal powers of aspirin, digitalis, and the anti-malarial artemisinin all come from plants. A Salk Institute discovery of a potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory chemical in a native California shrub may lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease based on a compound found in nature.

21 Feb 2019

Researchers discover DNA modification that enhances our ability to extinguish fear

Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered a DNA modification that enhances our ability to extinguish fear.

21 Feb 2019

Antipsychotic polypharmacy may be beneficial for schizophrenia patients

Combining certain types of two antipsychotic agents in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia is associated with a lower risk of relapse than using monotherapy. T

20 Feb 2019

UQ research may explain why vitamin D is essential for brain health

University of Queensland research may explain why vitamin D is vital for brain health, and how deficiency leads to disorders including depression and schizophrenia.

20 Feb 2019

Researchers find potential therapeutic strategy to treat Alzheimer's

Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro) have identified a potential therapeutic strategy to treat Alzheimer's, according to a study published in Journal of Neuroscience.

20 Feb 2019

Neuroscientists reveal that simple brain region can guide complex feats of mental activity

The organization and layout of dendrites is particularly intriguing in the somatosensory cerebral cortex. Like a many-tiered cake, it contains six distinctive layers. Each layer looks a little different.

20 Feb 2019

Novel preclinical model mimics persistent interneuron loss seen in preterm infants

Research-clinicians at Children's National Health System have created a novel preclinical model that mimics the persistent interneuron loss seen in preterm human infants, identifying interneuron subtypes that could become future therapeutic targets to prevent or lessen neurodevelopmental risks, the team reports Jan. 31, 2019, in eNeuro.

20 Feb 2019

Newly developed gene therapy helps decelerate aging process

Aging is a leading risk factor for a number of debilitating conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, to name a few. This makes the need for anti-aging therapies all the more urgent. Now, Salk Institute researchers have developed a new gene therapy to help decelerate the aging process.

20 Feb 2019

Using computer model to visualize brain's internal valuation system

Shopping in a supermarket can sometimes be an agony of choice. So many foods to choose from! And yet, we don't take hours to decide what we like to eat. Most of the time, we make decisions for or against certain products quickly and without much deliberation.

19 Feb 2019

Researchers capture altered brain activity patterns of Parkinson's in mice

The tell-tale tremors of Parkinson's disease emerge from abnormal activity in a brain region crucial for voluntary movement.

19 Feb 2019

Unique gene therapy approach paves new way to tackle rare, inherited diseases

Nonsense mutations are single-letter errors in the genetic code that prematurely halt the production of critical proteins. These unfinished proteins are unable to function normally, and nonsense mutations cause 10-15 percent of all inherited genetic diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease.

19 Feb 2019

Autistic children with co-occurring ADHD have greater adaptive behavior impairments

A pair of new studies has provided new insight into the challenges faced by children on the autism spectrum who exhibit symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

19 Feb 2019

Heavy smoking could lead to vision loss, study finds

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day can damage your vision, a study co-authored by a Rutgers researcher finds.

18 Feb 2019

Activating gene that helps excite neurons reverses depression in male mice

Directly activating a gene important to exciting our excitatory neurons and associated with major depression may help turn around classic symptoms like social isolation and loss of interest, at least for males, scientists report.

18 Feb 2019

UVA scientists find potential explanation for mysterious cell death in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a potential explanation for the mysterious death of specific brain cells seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Feb 2019

New method for improved visualization of single-cell RNA- sequencing data

Like going from a pinhole camera to a Polaroid, a significant mathematical update to the formula for a popular bioinformatics data visualization method will allow researchers to develop snapshots of single-cell gene expression not only several times faster but also at much higher-resolution.

15 Feb 2019

Newly developed stem cell technologies show promise for treating PD patients

Cell replacement may play an increasing role in alleviating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) in future. Writing in a special supplement to the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, experts describe how newly developed stem cell technologies could be used to treat the disease and discuss the great promise, as well as the significant challenges, of stem cell treatment.

15 Feb 2019

New mechanism for lateral inhibition of cells discovered

"The winner takes it all, the loser standing small" - that's not just true in the famous ABBA song, but also in animal development. Frequently, a group of cells starts out all being the same. But then one cell puts the brake on its neighbors, sending inhibitory signals that stop their differentiation. The "winning" cell, in the end, is different from its neighbors.

15 Feb 2019

Brain synchronization depends on the language of communication

Experts from the Basque research center BCBL have shown for the first time that the way in which the activity of two brains is connected depends on whether the dialogue takes place in the native language or in a foreign language.

15 Feb 2019

Lifetime adversity, increased neural processing during trauma combine to intensify core PTSD symptoms

Lifetime adversity and increased neural processing during a traumatic event combine to increase the frequency of intrusive traumatic memories and the distress they cause, according to a new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

14 Feb 2019