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Scientists develop human cortical spheroids

A patient tormented by suicidal thoughts gives his psychiatrist a few strands of his hair. She derives stem cells from them to grow budding brain tissue harboring the secrets of his unique illness in a petri dish. She uses the information to genetically engineer a personalized treatment to correct his brain circuit functioning. Just Sci-fi? Yes, but...

1 Jun 2015

Researchers awarded $3.86 million NIH grant to tackle the issue of 'mosaicism' in schizophrenia

Why does schizophrenia happen, and how can we improve treatment for it? These basic questions persist despite years of research on one of the most puzzling, and debilitating, mental illnesses. Now, a University of Michigan Medical School team and their colleagues will take a new approach to addressing these questions by searching for genetic clues in postmortem brain tissues of people with and without schizophrenia.

30 May 2015

Main culprit of Alzheimer's disease causes memory loss

The study, published May 29 in the open access Nature Publishing Group journal Scientific Reports, reveals a direct link between the main culprit of Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

29 May 2015

RI-MUHC researchers receive $1.5 million to develop glutamate biosensor platform for brain diseases

In the human brain and retina, glutamate is an important messenger that carries information from one neuron to another. The level of glutamate transmitted between neurons is crucial to cell communication: too high and neurons die, too low and the information is not communicated properly. In either case this can contribute to neurological diseases including stroke, glaucoma, and Alzheimer's.

29 May 2015

UB researchers identify mechanisms behind some autistic behaviors, suggest potential targets

Scientists at the University at Buffalo have identified the mechanisms behind a genetic mutation that produces certain autistic behaviors in mice, as well as therapeutic strategies to restore normal behaviors.

28 May 2015

Novartis launches ‘24 Life Hacks in 24 hours’ showing commitment to help people with MS access guidance and advice

World MS Day was created by the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF) in 2009 to raise global awareness of MS...

28 May 2015

Six research teams awarded grant to accelerate discovery of new drugs for brain, nervous system disorders

CQDM, Brain Canada and the Ontario Brain Institute award close to $8.5M to six (6) multi-disciplinary and multi-provincial research teams across Canada to address unmet needs in neuroscience within their Focus on Brain strategic initiative. To this amount, $1.5M is added from the various research entities involved as in-kind contributions.

27 May 2015

Not feeling pain due to genetic mutation may not be a blessing

A rare congenital genetic mutation means that those affected do not feel pain. However, what seems, at first sight, to be a blessing, can have serious consequences. It means that injuries or diseases can go undetected for a long time. The affected gene was identified by an international research team from MedUni Vienna, the University of Munich and the University of Cambridge.

27 May 2015

Scorpion venom could kill cancer cells

When the toxin invades channels in the cells with this disease produces cellular damage until killing them.

27 May 2015

Canadian researchers shed light on molecular dynamics of chronic pain

Chronic pain affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is a major cause of disability, causing more disability than cancer and heart disease. Canadian researchers, including Michael Salter at SickKids are shedding light on the molecular dynamics of chronic pain. They have uncovered a critical role for a class of cells present in the brain and spinal cord, called microglia, in pain.

27 May 2015

Study explores how one genome could produce three different castes within bumblebees

Biologists from the University of Leicester have discovered that one of nature's most important pollinators - the buff-tailed bumblebee - either ascends to the status of queen or remains a lowly worker bee based on which genes are 'turned on' during its lifespan.

27 May 2015

Researchers make important breakthrough in identifying major drivers of excessive coughing

Cough treatments could change dramatically after the herpes virus helped researchers discover that the respiratory tract links to two different parts of the nervous system.

27 May 2015

Previous motherhood alters cognition, neuroplasticity in response to hormone therapy

Hormone therapy (HT) is prescribed to alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause in women. Menopausal women are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but not other forms of dementia, and HT has been prescribed to treat cognitive decline in post-menopausal women with variable degrees of effectiveness.

26 May 2015

Oscillations could play role in resetting sensitivity of neurons after eye movements

Scientists measuring brain activity have found that in many regions, such as the sensory or motor cortex, activity sometimes oscillates at different frequencies, forming wave-like patterns. Despite the fact that such oscillations are frequently observed, and present in many brain regions, their functional role remains unclear.

26 May 2015

Researchers identify gene vital to production of pain-sensing neurons in humans

A gene essential to the production of pain-sensing neurons in humans has been identified by an international team of researchers co-led by the University of Cambridge. The discovery, reported today in the journal Nature Genetics, could have implications for the development of new methods of pain relief.

26 May 2015

Researchers create 'brainstorm barometer' to calculate the brain functions of very premature infants

University of Helsinki researchers have partnered with Swedish and Australian researchers to create a "brainstorm barometer", which allows computers to calculate the brain functions of very premature babies during their first hours of life.

25 May 2015

Mayo Clinic scientists create mouse model of ALS, FTD caused by mutations in C9ORF72 gene

Scientists at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida created a novel mouse that exhibits the symptoms and neurodegeneration associated with the most common genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease), both of which are caused by a mutation in the a gene called C9ORF72.

24 May 2015

Neurons News and Research

Scientists develop human cortical spheroids

Researchers awarded $3.86 million NIH grant to tackle the issue of 'mosaicism' in schizophrenia

Main culprit of Alzheimer's disease causes memory loss

RI-MUHC researchers receive $1.5 million to develop glutamate biosensor platform for brain diseases

UB researchers identify mechanisms behind some autistic behaviors, suggest potential targets

Novartis launches ‘24 Life Hacks in 24 hours’ showing commitment to help people with MS access guidance and advice

Six research teams awarded grant to accelerate discovery of new drugs for brain, nervous system disorders

Not feeling pain due to genetic mutation may not be a blessing

Scorpion venom could kill cancer cells

Canadian researchers shed light on molecular dynamics of chronic pain

Study explores how one genome could produce three different castes within bumblebees

Researchers make important breakthrough in identifying major drivers of excessive coughing

Previous motherhood alters cognition, neuroplasticity in response to hormone therapy

Oscillations could play role in resetting sensitivity of neurons after eye movements

Researchers identify gene vital to production of pain-sensing neurons in humans

Researchers create 'brainstorm barometer' to calculate the brain functions of very premature infants

Mayo Clinic scientists create mouse model of ALS, FTD caused by mutations in C9ORF72 gene

Just think about it: Giving natural movement to a patient with quadriplegia

nTMS analysis of motor areas improves prognosis of patients with malignant brain tumors

Scientists find new way to convert blood cells into sensory neurons

Human iPSCs: A Full Guide to Advanced in Vitro Models and Applications 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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