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Researchers find link between interferon, neuroinflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer's

When immunologist Dr. Wei Cao joined Baylor College of Medicine three-and-a-half years ago, her first project was to investigate how inflammation contributes to Alzheimer's disease.

5 Mar 2020

Visceral fat gives signal to the brain that damages cognition

Excessive weight around our middle gives our brain's resident immune cells heavy exposure to a signal that turns them against us, setting in motion a crescendo of inflammation that damages cognition, scientists say.

3 Mar 2020

A protein critical for wound healing and neural repair following spinal cord injury identified

Plexin-B2, an axon guidance protein in the central nervous system (CNS), plays an important role in wound healing and neural repair following spinal cord injury (SCI), according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in Nature Neuroscience. T

2 Mar 2020

Microglia play a dual role in regulating the permeability of blood-brain barrier, study shows

The blood-brain barrier is a layer of cells that covers the blood vessels in the brain and regulates the entry of molecules from the blood into the brain.

28 Feb 2020

Targeting overactive immune cells with experimental drug could improve TBI symptoms

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that targeting overactive immune cells in the brain with an experimental drug could limit brain cell loss and reverse cognitive and motor difficulties caused by traumatic brain injury.

25 Feb 2020

Supplementing diet with amino acid delays signs of ALS in animal study

The addition of dietary L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for formation of proteins and nerve cells, delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an animal study.

24 Feb 2020

Dampening effects of overactive immune cells may serve as new treatment for TBI

Targeting overactive immune cells and dampening their effects may serve as a new treatment for treating a traumatic brain injury, according to new research in mice published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 19 Feb 2020

Novel formulation allows use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to control neuropathic pain

Crotoxin, extracted from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been studied for almost a century for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities and as an even more powerful muscle paralyzer than botulinum toxin.

16 Feb 2020

Surprising discovery about childhood brain tumor may unlock new cancer treatments

A surprising discovery about a rare form of childhood brain cancer suggests a new treatment approach for that cancer and, potentially, many others.

13 Feb 2020

Macrophages migrate from the blood to attack brain tissue shortly after stroke

Macrophages are part of the innate immune system and essential for brain development and function. Using a novel method, scientists from Jena University Hospital, the University of Bonn and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York (USA) succeeded in visualizing macrophages that were formed in the bone marrow.

11 Feb 2020

Research shows how the brain's immune system could be activated to improve memory

When it comes to memory, immune cells are known as the "bad cops" of the brain. But new research shows they could also be turned into "good cops" to power memory and learning.

11 Feb 2020

Age-linked cognitive decline could be slowed by immune activation

A new study published in February 2020 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), reports that activating a specific type of immune cell found in the brain could delay reduced cognition often found in older people, and even prevent neurologic degeneration of age.

5 Feb 2020

Flickering light triggers the brain to release signaling chemicals that may help fight Alzheimer's

For over a century, Alzheimer's disease has confounded all attempts to treat it. But in recent years, perplexing experiments using flickering light have shown promise.

4 Feb 2020

Research unravels consequences of Zika virus attack on neural cells

Previous studies regarding the damage of the Zika virus on the brain had already pointed out the virus's predilection for a certain neural cell: the astrocyte. However, few studies have proposed to identify the infection effects on these cells, as well as their association with developmental alterations, including brain malformations and microcephaly.

27 Jan 2020

Immune system cells facilitate the invasive capacity of glioblastoma

In a study published in Brain Communications, a new Open Access publication of the well-known journal Brain, the team led by Carlos Barcia, researcher at Institut de Neurociències of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, analyzed the role of immune cells in the expansion of glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain tumor.

23 Jan 2020

Study shows how gene therapy may help protect against vision loss in multiple sclerosis

New research by Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals the molecular process in which synaptic connections in the brain are damaged in multiple sclerosis and how this contributes to neurodegenerative symptoms.

21 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

Microglia News and Research

Researchers find link between interferon, neuroinflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer's

Visceral fat gives signal to the brain that damages cognition

A protein critical for wound healing and neural repair following spinal cord injury identified

Microglia play a dual role in regulating the permeability of blood-brain barrier, study shows

Targeting overactive immune cells with experimental drug could improve TBI symptoms

Supplementing diet with amino acid delays signs of ALS in animal study

Dampening effects of overactive immune cells may serve as new treatment for TBI

Novel formulation allows use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to control neuropathic pain

Surprising discovery about childhood brain tumor may unlock new cancer treatments

Macrophages migrate from the blood to attack brain tissue shortly after stroke

Research shows how the brain's immune system could be activated to improve memory

Age-linked cognitive decline could be slowed by immune activation

Flickering light triggers the brain to release signaling chemicals that may help fight Alzheimer's

Research unravels consequences of Zika virus attack on neural cells

Immune system cells facilitate the invasive capacity of glioblastoma

Study shows how gene therapy may help protect against vision loss in multiple sclerosis

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

Specific group of immune cells may influence Alzheimer’s disease

Gut microbes may play a role in stroke recovery

Short chain fatty acid supplementation improves stroke recovery, mice study shows

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