Neurons News and Research

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New findings on amitriptyline drug could help develop antidepressants with novel mechanisms

Researchers in Japan have shown that several different classes of antidepressants increase early growth responses in astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells, which could help develop new treatments.

16 Sep 2015

Roflumilast drug could inhibit growth of brain tumor in children

Current drugs may stop working against the most common type of brain tumor in children, medulloblastoma, but the tumor could be targeted in a new way, according to Stanford University scientists.

15 Sep 2015

Study shows link between impaired mitochondria, energy failure, and neuronal dysfunction

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows for the first time that impairments in mitochondria--the brain's cellular power plants--can deplete cellular energy levels and cause neuronal dysfunction in a model of neurodegenerative disease.

15 Sep 2015

Cautiously-designed combination therapies may attenuate side effects associated with Alzheimer's drugs

BACE1 is the major drug target for Alzheimer's disease, but we know surprisingly little about its normal function in the CNS.

15 Sep 2015

Human Brain Project aims at detailed simulations of human brain

The goal of brain simulations using supercomputers is to understand the processes in our brain. This is a mammoth task: the activity of an estimated 100 billion nerve cells - also known as neurons - must be represented .

14 Sep 2015

Location-dependent pattern in cilia length in mouse nasal cavity affects sensitivity to odors

Like the hairs they resemble, cilia come in all lengths, from short to long. But unlike the hair on our heads, the length of sensory cilia on nerve cells in our noses is of far more than merely cosmetic significance. A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a location-dependent pattern in cilia length in the mouse nasal cavity that affects sensitivity to odors.

14 Sep 2015

UNC scientists create smarter immune cells to treat Parkinson's disease

As a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created smarter immune cells that produce and deliver a healing protein to the brain while also teaching neurons to begin making the protein for themselves.

14 Sep 2015

Study reveals why long-term use of L-DOPA leads to dyskinesia

Researchers have discovered why long-term use of L-DOPA (levodopa), the most effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, commonly leads to a movement problem called dyskinesia, a side effect that can be as debilitating as Parkinson's disease itself.

11 Sep 2015

Signs of Alzheimer’s found in growth hormone patients

People may be able to contract Alzheimer’s disease during certain medical procedures in the same way that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is transmitted, suggest researchers from University College London.

10 Sep 2015

Study shows external brain stimulation temporarily improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) tend to slow down and decrease the intensity of their movements even though many retain the ability to move more quickly and forcefully.

10 Sep 2015

Research provides new approach for studying neural circuits that control behavior

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to show that it's possible to reverse the behavior of an animal by flipping a switch in neuronal communication.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

Using "mini-brains" built with induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with a rare, but devastating, neurological disorder, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a drug candidate that appears to "rescue" dysfunctional cells by suppressing a critical genetic alteration.

9 Sep 2015

Why do we sleep? An interview with Professor Wisden

It is true that we still do not know why we need to sleep every night. Sleep is essential for health. We have to do it every day. But nobody yet knows why. This fact amazes me.

8 Sep 2015

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

One of the longstanding debates in science, that has, perhaps unsurprisingly, permeated into the field of stem cell research, is the question of nature versus nurture influencing development.

4 Sep 2015

Scientists identify new mechanism for severe early infant epilepsy

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have discovered a new explanation for severe early infant epilepsy. Mutations in the gene encoding the protein KCC2 can cause the disease, hereby confirming an earlier theory.

3 Sep 2015

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

New research may help explain why drug treatments for addiction and depression don't work for some patients. The conditions are linked to reward and aversion responses in the brain. Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered brain pathways linked to reward and aversion behaviors are in such close proximity that they unintentionally could be activated at the same time.

3 Sep 2015

Researchers create method to watch activity of motor neurons in real time

When you're taking a walk around the block, your body is mostly on autopilot--you don't have to consciously think about alternating which leg you step with or which muscles it takes to lift a foot and put it back down. That's thanks to a set of cells in your spinal cord that help translate messages between your brain and your motor neurons, which control muscles.

3 Sep 2015

Neurons News and Research

New findings on amitriptyline drug could help develop antidepressants with novel mechanisms

Roflumilast drug could inhibit growth of brain tumor in children

Study shows link between impaired mitochondria, energy failure, and neuronal dysfunction

Cautiously-designed combination therapies may attenuate side effects associated with Alzheimer's drugs

Human Brain Project aims at detailed simulations of human brain

Location-dependent pattern in cilia length in mouse nasal cavity affects sensitivity to odors

UNC scientists create smarter immune cells to treat Parkinson's disease

Study reveals why long-term use of L-DOPA leads to dyskinesia

Signs of Alzheimer’s found in growth hormone patients

Study shows external brain stimulation temporarily improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients

Research provides new approach for studying neural circuits that control behavior

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

Why do we sleep? An interview with Professor Wisden

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

Scientists identify new mechanism for severe early infant epilepsy

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

Researchers create method to watch activity of motor neurons in real time

Scientists pinpoint neurons responsible for alcohol consumption

Common antidepressant can help stroke patients improve movement and coordination

Scientists closer to understanding how neurons are wired to form circuits in the eye

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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