Brain Cell News and Research

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Scientists uncover mechanism behind 'tubulin code'

Driving down the highway, you encounter ever-changing signs -- speed limits, exits, food and gas options. Seeing these roadside markers may cause you to slow down, change lanes or start thinking about lunch. In a similar way, cellular structures called microtubules are tagged with a variety of chemical markers that can influence cell functions.

13 May 2015

Ground-breaking study characterizes early-stage Alzheimer's abnormalities in the intact brain

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that strikes at the heart of what makes us human: the ability to think, to feel, to remember and to communicate with those around us. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that there is currently no cure, no treatment, and no diagnostic method capable of identifying Alzheimer's at its early stages.

6 May 2015

Researchers uncover new connection between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes

Researchers have uncovered a unique connection between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, providing further evidence that a disease that robs people of their memories may be affected by elevated blood sugar, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

5 May 2015

Scientists report that enzyme that alters testosterone to estrogen has big impact in healthy, injured brain

An enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen appears to have significant impact in a healthy and injured brain, scientists report.

5 May 2015

Researchers identify potential treatment target for fragile X carriers

Fragile X syndrome, an inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability, can have consequences even for carriers of the disorder who don't have full-blown symptoms.

25 Apr 2015

New research links sleep apnea, heavy snoring with premature cognitive decline

Heavy snoring and sleep apnea may be linked to memory and thinking decline at an earlier age, according to a new study published in the April 15, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Apr 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers create the largest library of brain cells from ALS patients

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have transformed skin cells from patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), into brain cells affected by the progressive, fatal disease and deposited those human-made cells into the first public ALS cell library, enabling scientists to better study the disease.

15 Apr 2015

Plymouth researchers receive grant to develop effective therapy for Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is an hereditary disorder of the nervous system caused by a faulty gene on chromosome four. The faulty gene leads to nerve damage in the area of the brain resulting in gradual physical, mental and emotional changes. Those born to a parent with Huntington's disease have a 50:50 chance of developing it, and there is currently no cure.

9 Apr 2015

Researchers discover genetic factors key to POMC cells

The little voice inside your head that tells you to eat, or stop eating, isn't a little voice - it's actually a cluster of about 10,000 specialized brain cells. And now, an international team of scientists has found tiny triggers inside those cells that give rise to this "voice", and keep it speaking throughout life.

6 Apr 2015

Finding appears to support the hypothesis that Alzheimer's is an autoimmune disease

Brain levels of the lipid ceramide are high in Alzheimer's disease, and now scientists have found increased levels of an antibody to the lipid in their disease model.

10 Mar 2015

New genetic discovery may lead to effective treatments for Huntington's disease

A new genetic discovery in the field of Huntington's disease (HD) could mean a more effective way in determining severity of this neurological disease when using specific treatments. This study may provide insight for treatments that would be effective in slowing down or postponing the death of neurons for people who carry the HD gene mutation, but who do not yet show symptoms of the disease.

2 Mar 2015

New partnership aims to create stem cell resource to study psychiatric disorders

The New York Stem Cell Foundation and the Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard are partnering to create a foundational stem cell resource to study psychiatric disorders through the production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from individuals with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

20 Feb 2015

Three leading research funders join forces to support brain disease research

Three leading research funders from the UK and North America have joined forces to launch a new global initiative called MEND or, MEchanisms of cellular death in NeuroDegeneration, with a fund of $1.25 million USD (£820,000/$1.56CDN) for targeted research into brain diseases that cause dementia, such as Alzheimer's.

11 Feb 2015

New study shows that the body's immune system may be able to clear Alzheimer's-associated plaques

New research from scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California shows that the body's immune system may be able to clear the brain of toxic plaque build-up that is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, reversing memory loss and brain cell damage.

6 Feb 2015

Mathematical models of cancer behavior offer new insights on tumor growth

Hassan Fathallah-Shaykh, M.D., Ph.D., believes that math can transform medicine, and he has the numbers to prove it.

2 Feb 2015

Researchers identify molecular mechanisms that can prevent blindness, promote recovery from stroke

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor, Ernest C. and Yvette C. Villere Chair of Retinal Degeneration Research, and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans, has discovered gene interactions that determine whether cells live or die in such conditions as age-related macular degeneration and ischemic stroke.

31 Jan 2015

Researchers discover novel compound that helps curtail progression of temporal lobe epilepsy

Researchers at the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence have found that a novel compound they discovered helps curtail the onset and progression of temporal lobe epilepsy.

28 Jan 2015

TSRI scientists find drug candidates that can prevent degeneration of brain cells in Parkinson's

In a pair of related studies, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown their drug candidates can target biological pathways involved in the destruction of brain cells in Parkinson's disease.

28 Jan 2015

Scientists receive NSF funding to develop, commercialize artificial cell manufacturing for education

National Science Foundation funding to develop and commercialize artificially-manufactured cells and cell platforms for educational, research and industry application has been awarded to a team of scientists led by Dr. Mark DeCoster, the James E. Wyche III Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University.

15 Dec 2014

New study finds that poor sleep may lead to dementia

People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a new study published in the December 10, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2014