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Thalamic reticular nucleus responsible for the brain's ability to multitask, study reveals

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center say they have added to evidence that a shell-shaped region in the center of the mammalian brain, known as the thalamic reticular nucleus or TRN, is likely responsible for the ability to routinely and seamlessly multitask.

22 Oct 2015

Scientists map out the brain circuitry critical for filtering out distractions

In a study of mice, scientists discovered that a brain region called the thalamus may be critical for filtering out distractions. The study, published in Nature and partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, paves the way to understanding how defects in the thalamus might underlie symptoms seen in patients with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia.

22 Oct 2015

New study from TSRI and Salk points to cause of debilitating nerve disease

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered how a mutant protein triggers nerve damage in a subtype of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases, a group of currently untreatable conditions that cause loss of function in a person’s hands and feet.

22 Oct 2015

Novel method provides greater means to study protein changes in Alzheimer's disease

Using 10-year-old archival brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer's disease, a research team from NYU Langone Medical Center has developed a novel method to examine the structure and function of proteins at the cell level--providing greater means to study protein changes found in Alzheimer's disease.

22 Oct 2015

Restoring memory in aging mice

A new study, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VA) and University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine shows that increasing a crucial cholesterol-binding membrane protein in nerve cells (neurons) within the brain can improve learning and memory in aged mice.

22 Oct 2015

New clique topology method can reveal geometric structure in neural activity in the brain

A newly-developed mathematical method can detect geometric structure in neural activity in the brain. "Previously, in order to understand this structure, scientists needed to relate neural activity to some specific external stimulus," said Vladimir Itskov, associate professor of mathematics at Penn State University.

20 Oct 2015

Study shows how synapses organization is controlled

Our ability to learn, move, and sense our world comes from the neurons in our brain. This information moves through our brain between neurons that are linked together by tens of trillions of tiny structures called synapses.

20 Oct 2015

First patients receive doses of antisense drug for Huntington's disease

The first few patients have received doses of an experimental RNA-targeting drug for Huntington's disease, it was announced today.

20 Oct 2015

NAM announces election of three new members from UC San Diego School of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine announced today the election of three new members from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine: Napoleone Ferrara, MD; Christopher K. Glass, MD, PhD; and Roberto Malinow, MD, PhD. Election to NAM is considered among the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

20 Oct 2015

Discovery may provide noninvasive approach to assessing toxic effects of anesthetic agents in children

Could looking at the eyes provide a new way of studying how anesthesia affects the developing brain? The retinas of immature mice exposed to one widely used general anesthetic show evidence of "programmed cell death," or apoptosis, reports a study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

19 Oct 2015

UB study sheds light on the root causes of Huntington's disease

We've known for years that the Huntingtin protein (Htt) is responsible for Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that diminishes a person's mental and physical abilities.

19 Oct 2015

Genetic mutation linked to ALS, FTD prevents proteins from entering and exiting the cell's nucleus

Three teams of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health showed that a genetic mutation linked to some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) may destroy neurons by disrupting the movement of materials in and out of the cell's nucleus, or command center where most of its DNA is stored.

19 Oct 2015

Researchers find that stem cell treatment may reduce cognitive impairment related to dementia with Lewy bodies

Neural stem cells transplanted into damaged brain sites in mice dramatically improved both motor and cognitive impairments associated with dementia with Lewy bodies, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

19 Oct 2015

BET protein family plays key role in regulation of normal neuronal development and function

Regulation of a family of brain proteins known as bromodomain and extra-terminal domain containing transcription regulators (BETs) plays a key role in normal cognition and behavior, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published advanced online on September 21 and in print October 19 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

19 Oct 2015

New UCL study highlights genes associated with schizophrenia and obesity

Genes involved in schizophrenia and obesity have been highlighted in a new UCL study, which could lead to a better understanding of the DNA variants which affect risk of these conditions and aid the development of improved strategies for prevention and treatment.

18 Oct 2015

New breakthrough advances our understanding of how brain detects, prevents dehydration

Scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and Duke University have made a breakthrough that advances our understanding of how the brain detects and prevents dehydration.

16 Oct 2015

US and German researchers team up to advance quality control of human stem cells

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in California, USA, and two German institutes, the Center for Integrated Psychiatry Kiel (ZIP) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, have announced a partnership to advance the quality control of human stem cells.

16 Oct 2015

Brain areas linked to social behaviors underdeveloped in youths with high functioning ASD

A team of UCLA scientists has found that brain areas linked to social behaviors are both underdeveloped and insufficiently networked in youths with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to study participants without ASD.

14 Oct 2015

MIT neuroscientists discover brain circuit that controls sleep

Sleep is usually considered an all-or-nothing state: The brain is either entirely awake or entirely asleep. However, MIT neuroscientists have discovered a brain circuit that can trigger small regions of the brain to fall asleep or become less alert, while the rest of the brain remains awake.

14 Oct 2015

Penn researchers show that canine X-linked retinitis pigmentosa can be cured over the long term

Three years ago, a team from the University of Pennsylvania announced that they had cured X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, a blinding retinal disease, in dogs. Now they've shown that they can cure the canine disease over the long term, even when the treatment is given after half or more of the affected photoreceptor cells have been destroyed.

13 Oct 2015

Neurons News and Research

Thalamic reticular nucleus responsible for the brain's ability to multitask, study reveals

Scientists map out the brain circuitry critical for filtering out distractions

New study from TSRI and Salk points to cause of debilitating nerve disease

Novel method provides greater means to study protein changes in Alzheimer's disease

Restoring memory in aging mice

New clique topology method can reveal geometric structure in neural activity in the brain

Study shows how synapses organization is controlled

First patients receive doses of antisense drug for Huntington's disease

NAM announces election of three new members from UC San Diego School of Medicine

Discovery may provide noninvasive approach to assessing toxic effects of anesthetic agents in children

UB study sheds light on the root causes of Huntington's disease

Genetic mutation linked to ALS, FTD prevents proteins from entering and exiting the cell's nucleus

Researchers find that stem cell treatment may reduce cognitive impairment related to dementia with Lewy bodies

BET protein family plays key role in regulation of normal neuronal development and function

New UCL study highlights genes associated with schizophrenia and obesity

New breakthrough advances our understanding of how brain detects, prevents dehydration

US and German researchers team up to advance quality control of human stem cells

Brain areas linked to social behaviors underdeveloped in youths with high functioning ASD

MIT neuroscientists discover brain circuit that controls sleep

Penn researchers show that canine X-linked retinitis pigmentosa can be cured over the long term

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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