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Researchers identify mechanisms behind loss of sensory perception in Parkinson's disease

Although Parkinson's disease is often associated with motor symptoms such as stiffness, poor balance and trembling, the first symptoms are often sensory and include a reduced sense of touch and smell. In a study on mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now been able to identify neural circuits and mechanisms behind this loss of sensory perception.

18 May 2017

Researchers discover neurons that help fruit flies to balance sleep and sex

Sleep is important, but if there is something more important or interesting to do -- for example, taking care of a baby, finishing a grant proposal before a deadline, or reading a fascinating book -- we may stay up late.

18 May 2017

WPI research program aims to understand gender differences in neurobiology

Many complicated neurological disorders appear to have a gender bias. Women, for example, are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, while men are at greater risk for Parkinson's disease.

17 May 2017

Study shows that humans reprocess recent memories in sleep

Sleep helps us to retain the information that we have learned during the day. We know from animal experiments that new memories are reactivated during sleep.

17 May 2017

‘Disease in a dish’ model pinpoints how defects in blood-brain barrier can cause psychomotor disorder

Scientists for the first time have assembled a "disease in a dish" model that pinpoints how a defect in the blood-brain barrier can produce an incurable psychomotor disorder, Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome.

17 May 2017

Study unravels new clues to cause and treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle wasting and paralysis, may be partly due to abnormalities in the synapses that connect sensory neurons and motor neurons, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center.

16 May 2017

Research could lead to development of new therapies that reduce pathological fear in PTSD

Research published by scientists at the University of California, Riverside on "fear memory" could lead to the development of therapies that reduce the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

16 May 2017

Diabetes medication could potentially help treat symptoms of Fragile X syndrome

Metformin, the most widely used drug to treat type 2 diabetes, could potentially be used to treat symptoms of Fragile X syndrome, an inherited form of intellectual disability and a cause of some forms of autism.

15 May 2017

New gene variant linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

For the first time, a variant in UBQLN4 gene has been associated with Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a progressive disease resulting in the loss of nerve cells that control muscle movement, which eventually leads to paralysis and death.

15 May 2017

Discovery of steroid hormone in fruit flies may shed new light on maternal hypothyroidism

University of Oregon researchers using Drosophila have identified a steroid hormone that triggers a vital transition in early brain development in which neural stem cells properly change gears to produce different kinds of neurons.

15 May 2017

Excellence of human olfactory abilities has been overlooked for centuries

It is commonly believed that we have a poor sense of smell relative to other mammals, most notably the dog. However, a review published today reports that, based on 14 years of study of the olfactory system, humans have an excellent ability to discern different odours. We are just sensitive to different scents compared with other mammals.

12 May 2017

Scientists use new RNA sequencing and statistical techniques to track stem cells in the nose

Adult stem cells have the ability to transform into many types of cells, but tracing the path individual stem cells follow as they mature and identifying the molecules that trigger these fateful decisions are difficult in a living animal.

12 May 2017

New research sheds light on inner mechanisms underlying learning and memory

New research published online in The FASEB Journal sheds important light on the inner workings of learning and memory.

11 May 2017

Research lays groundwork to develop realistic ‘biomimetic neuroprosthetics’

By applying a novel computer algorithm to mimic how the brain learns, a team of researchers – with the aid of the Comet supercomputer based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego and the Center's Neuroscience Gateway – has identified and replicated neural circuitry that resembles the way an unimpaired brain controls limb movement.

11 May 2017

Exposure to flower pesticides affects neurobehavioral performance in children

Ecuador is the third largest producer of cut flowers in the world, primarily roses, many of which are destined to be sold for Mother's Day. The industry employs more than 103,000 people, and relies heavily on agricultural pesticides.

11 May 2017

New organoid ‘fusion’ technique helps observe complex interactions between diverse brain regions

In 2013 researchers led by IMBA scientist Jürgen Knoblich flabbergasted the scientific community. Starting from human stem cells, researchers in his lab managed to grow living three dimensional models of basic units of human brain in a dish.

11 May 2017

Demyelination may not be good indicator of MS progression, study finds

A study by researchers from Queen Mary University of London establishes for the first time the extent of neuronal loss in the brain of a person with MS over their life and finds that demyelination may not be as good an indicator of disease progression as previously thought.

10 May 2017

Penn researcher searches for common factor linked to smell loss

Studies have shown that loss of the sense of smell can be among the first warning signs of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

10 May 2017

Researchers identify brain cells that drive fruit flies’ food choices based on nutrition needs

Using fruit flies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a specific and very small set of brain cells -- dubbed dopamine wedge neurons -- responsible for driving the insects' food preferences toward what they need, rather than what they like.

10 May 2017

Contrary behavior by blood vessels in the brainstem is what keeps us breathing, research suggests

Certain blood vessels in the brainstem constrict when blood vessels elsewhere in the body would dilate. And that contrary behavior is what keeps us breathing, according to a new paper by UConn researchers published May 8 in eLife.

9 May 2017

Neurons News and Research

Researchers identify mechanisms behind loss of sensory perception in Parkinson's disease

Researchers discover neurons that help fruit flies to balance sleep and sex

WPI research program aims to understand gender differences in neurobiology

Study shows that humans reprocess recent memories in sleep

‘Disease in a dish’ model pinpoints how defects in blood-brain barrier can cause psychomotor disorder

Study unravels new clues to cause and treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Research could lead to development of new therapies that reduce pathological fear in PTSD

Diabetes medication could potentially help treat symptoms of Fragile X syndrome

New gene variant linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

Discovery of steroid hormone in fruit flies may shed new light on maternal hypothyroidism

Excellence of human olfactory abilities has been overlooked for centuries

Scientists use new RNA sequencing and statistical techniques to track stem cells in the nose

New research sheds light on inner mechanisms underlying learning and memory

Research lays groundwork to develop realistic ‘biomimetic neuroprosthetics’

Exposure to flower pesticides affects neurobehavioral performance in children

New organoid ‘fusion’ technique helps observe complex interactions between diverse brain regions

Demyelination may not be good indicator of MS progression, study finds

Penn researcher searches for common factor linked to smell loss

Researchers identify brain cells that drive fruit flies’ food choices based on nutrition needs

Contrary behavior by blood vessels in the brainstem is what keeps us breathing, research suggests

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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