Neuroscience News and Research

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Scientists identify unique memory suppressor gene that could provide clues for new Alzheimer’s disease treatments

While research has identified hundreds of genes required for normal memory formation, genes that suppress memory are of special interest because they offer insights into how the brain prioritizes and manages all of the information, including memories, that it takes in every day.

18 Apr 2016

Scientists identify human protein that weakens immune response to HIV, other viruses

Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have identified a human (host) protein that weakens the immune response to HIV and other viruses. The findings, published today in Cell Host & Microbe, have important implications for improving HIV antiviral therapies, creating effective viral vaccines, and advance a new approach to treat cancer.

16 Apr 2016

Removal of Dnmt1 enzyme during OPC differentiation could lead to neurological symptoms

The removal of the enzyme Dnmt1 during oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation in the central nervous system resulted in inefficient myelin formation and neurological deterioration, including loss of control of bodily movements, in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal Cell Reports. The results could lead to a new understanding of multiple sclerosis and other myelin disorders in humans.

16 Apr 2016

Slow-wave sleep may promote consolidation of recent memories

Research strongly suggests that sleep, which constitutes about a third of our lives, is crucial for learning and forming long-term memories. But exactly how such memory is formed is not well understood and remains, despite considerable research, a central question of inquiry in neuroscience.

16 Apr 2016

Inflammation after stroke may help the brain to self-repair

After a stroke, there is inflammation in the damaged part of the brain. Until now, the inflammation has been seen as a negative consequence that needs to be abolished as soon as possible. But, as it turns out, there are also some positive sides to the inflammation, and it can actually help the brain to self-repair.

16 Apr 2016

Researchers develop novel method to store microfluidic devices for CD4 T cell testing

Providing vital health care services to people in developing countries without reliable electricity, refrigeration and state-of-the-art medical equipment poses a number of challenges. Inspired by pregnancy tests, researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Stanford University, and Baskent University in Turkey, have developed a novel method to store microfluidic devices for CD4 T cell testing in extreme weather conditions for up to six months without refrigeration.

14 Apr 2016

Brain implant enables paralyzed man to move his hand

Researchers have developed an electrical device that has helped a quadriplegic man to move his hand, wrist and several fingers, enabling him to carry out basic movements such as picking up a bottle and pouring a glass of water.

14 Apr 2016

Combination of sugar and polyphenols may prevent occurrence of neurodegenerative disease

Catherine Aaron and Gabrielle Beaudry were 17 when they knocked on the door of the laboratory of Alex Parker, a neuroscience researcher at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre. While students at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montreal, they were looking for a mentor for an after-school research project. Two and half years later, the results of this scientific adventure were published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

13 Apr 2016

Common antihistamine may partially reverse damage to visual system in multiple sclerosis patients

A common antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergies and the common cold, called clemastine fumarate, partially reversed damage to the visual system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

13 Apr 2016

Manipulation of signals in nervous system can enhance recovery after traumatic injury

Neurobiologists at UC San Diego have discovered how signals that orchestrate the construction of the nervous system also influence recovery after traumatic injury. They also found that manipulating these signals can enhance the return of function.

12 Apr 2016

Pooled analysis from seven clinical studies demonstrates consistent efficacy for ceftazidime-avibactam in the treatment of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria

AstraZeneca has presented positive data demonstrating the efficacy of the investigational antibiotic, ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI), in treating patients with ceftazidime-resistant Gram-negative infections, which are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics, often precipitating the need for clinicians to reach for agents previously reserved for last-line use.

12 Apr 2016

Transcranial direct current stimulation can allow faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations

How the human brain processes the words we hear and constructs complex concepts is still somewhat of a mystery to the neuroscience community. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can alter our language processing, allowing for faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations, according to new research from the department of Neurology the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The work is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Apr 2016

Zika virus may be linked to autoimmune disorder that attacks the brain's myelin

The Zika virus may be associated with an autoimmune disorder that attacks the brain's myelin similar to multiple sclerosis, according to a small study that is being released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

11 Apr 2016

New U of T study shows that acetaminophen could impede error-detection in the brain

It's been known for more than a century that acetaminophen is an effective painkiller, but according to a new U of T study it could also be impeding error-detection in the brain.

11 Apr 2016

Physical, mental training may improve health of young schizophrenia patients

In as little as a few months, antipsychotic medications can tame the delusions and hallucinations that characterize schizophrenia. But the medications do little to reverse the less familiar brain-based problems that accompany the illness.

7 Apr 2016

Taking epilepsy drug during pregnancy may not increase risk of birth defects

Babies born to pregnant women taking the epilepsy drug lamotrigine may not be at an increased risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate or clubfoot, according to a study published in the April 6, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Apr 2016

Salk scientists identify specific cellular switches that clear dying, dead neurons

By adolescence, your brain already contains most of the neurons that you'll have for the rest of your life. But a few regions continue to grow new nerve cells--and require the services of cellular sentinels, specialized immune cells that keep the brain safe by getting rid of dead or dysfunctional cells.

7 Apr 2016

Researchers develop innovative method for gene transfer

Researchers have developed a new and highly efficient method for gene transfer. The technique, which involves culturing and transfecting cells with genetic material on an array of carbon nanotubes, appears to overcome the limitations of other gene editing technologies.

7 Apr 2016

Study shows how Down Syndrome gene associated with altered oscillations in the cerebral cortex

Cerebral activity is governed by a fine balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. Specifically, neurons are activated by excitation mechanisms tightly regulated by inhibition processes. For certain functions, the neuronal network needs to be synchronized.

6 Apr 2016

New technologies can improve memory, learning in cognitive deficit patients

People are using brain-machine interfaces to restore motor function in ways never before possible - through limb prosthetics and exoskletons. But technologies to repair and improve cognition have been more elusive. That is rapidly changing with new tools - from fully implantable brain devices to neuron-eavesdropping grids atop the brain - to directly probe the mind.

6 Apr 2016

Neuroscience News and Research

Scientists identify unique memory suppressor gene that could provide clues for new Alzheimer’s disease treatments

Scientists identify human protein that weakens immune response to HIV, other viruses

Removal of Dnmt1 enzyme during OPC differentiation could lead to neurological symptoms

Slow-wave sleep may promote consolidation of recent memories

Inflammation after stroke may help the brain to self-repair

Researchers develop novel method to store microfluidic devices for CD4 T cell testing

Brain implant enables paralyzed man to move his hand

Combination of sugar and polyphenols may prevent occurrence of neurodegenerative disease

Common antihistamine may partially reverse damage to visual system in multiple sclerosis patients

Manipulation of signals in nervous system can enhance recovery after traumatic injury

Pooled analysis from seven clinical studies demonstrates consistent efficacy for ceftazidime-avibactam in the treatment of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria

Transcranial direct current stimulation can allow faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations

Zika virus may be linked to autoimmune disorder that attacks the brain's myelin

New U of T study shows that acetaminophen could impede error-detection in the brain

Physical, mental training may improve health of young schizophrenia patients

Taking epilepsy drug during pregnancy may not increase risk of birth defects

Salk scientists identify specific cellular switches that clear dying, dead neurons

Researchers develop innovative method for gene transfer

Study shows how Down Syndrome gene associated with altered oscillations in the cerebral cortex

New technologies can improve memory, learning in cognitive deficit patients

Event guide: 2nd Neuroscience Innovation Partnering & Licensing Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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