Neurons News and Research

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Study explains why intense exercise curbs appetite

Ever wonder why intense exercise temporarily curbs your appetite? In research described in today's issue of PLOS Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers reveal that the answer is all in your head - more specifically, your arcuate nucleus.

25 Apr 2018

Stress may induce neurotransmitter switching that contributes to chemical imbalances in the brain

Five years ago, a team of University of California San Diego neurobiologists published surprising findings describing how rats' brain cells adopted new chemical codes when subjected to significant changes in natural light exposure--much as humans suffer from "winter blues," the type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder.

24 Apr 2018

EMBL scientists develop new illumination method to manage neuropathic pain

Imagine that the movement of a single hair on your arm causes severe pain. For patients with neuropathic pain - a chronic illness affecting 7 to 8% of the European population, with no effective treatment - this can be a daily reality.

24 Apr 2018

Rehabilitation technique for stroke appears beneficial for multiple sclerosis patients

A rehabilitation technique originally developed for stroke has now been shown to also be effective for improving function for people with multiple sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease.

24 Apr 2018

New compound could offer pain-relieving properties without risk of addiction

Researchers at the University of Michigan have engineered a new compound that animal tests suggest could offer the pain-relieving properties of opioids such as morphine and oxycodone without the risk of addiction.

24 Apr 2018

Role of midbrain in encoding identity errors

When scientist Thorsten Kahnt was a high school student in Nuremberg, Germany, his friend Christian sported chin-length, curly brown hair. Then one day Christian appeared with newly buzzed hair, only half an inch long.

23 Apr 2018

Studies offer leads for new approaches to treat neurological problems

Technological advances have ushered in a new era of discovery in neuroscience. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting will feature an array of research findings on the brain and nervous system.

23 Apr 2018

Salamander study provides clues for treating spinal cord injuries

One of the most vexing problems with spinal cord injuries is that the human body does not rebuild nerves once they have been damaged. Other animals, on the other hand, seem to have no problem repairing broken neurons.

23 Apr 2018

Higher consumption of fish linked to better neurological health

A new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shines more light on the link between consumption of fish and better long-term neurological health.

23 Apr 2018

Innovative research could lead to new ways to treat, prevent cancer

Research into cancer can provide new insight into how this disease works and how it can be stopped. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting will showcase innovative research that could lead to new ways to treat and prevent cancer.

23 Apr 2018

Researchers find crucial links between dopamine and avoidance behavior

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance – behavior related to pain and fear.

20 Apr 2018

Study reveals surprising insights into RNA-binding proteins

A host of special molecules called nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), when misplaced outside the nucleus, form the harmful clumps seen in several brain disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20 Apr 2018

Male fruit flies like sex and alcohol

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have found that male fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) enjoy ejaculation and sex and are also keen on alcohol consumption. The results of this novel study that shows that sexual gratification is preserved across species was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology this week.

19 Apr 2018

Human brain processes sight and sound in the same way, shows study

Although sight is a much different sense than sound, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientists have found that the human brain learns to make sense of these stimuli in the same way.

19 Apr 2018

Genome editing identifies neural circuit behind leptin’s anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects

Revealing surprising answers to a long-standing enigma about the brain target of the anti-obesity hormone leptin, neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have used CRISPR genome editing to identify a neural circuit in the hypothalamus as the primary mechanism in mediating leptin's anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects and have identified two distinct mechanisms underlying leptin's inhibition of appetite.

19 Apr 2018

Researchers use optogenetics to treat chronic pain

The finger prick from a thorn generates an immediate sensory response. In that instant, neurons at the injury site fire an electrical signal along a nerve fiber to the central nervous system. Our brain notes to avoid further encounters with thorns and the painful insult subsides.

18 Apr 2018