Neuroscience News and Research

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High levels of radiation dosage may not improve survival of prostate cancer patients

New technology has enabled doctors to administer higher doses of radiation to prostate cancer patients with fewer side effects. However, a new study shows that escalating the dose may not actually help a patient in the long term, at least not patients with localized prostate cancer. The results were published online last week in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

29 Mar 2016

New TAU study pinpoints precise mechanism that regulates inheritance of epigenetic responses

According to epigenetics -- the study of inheritable changes in gene expression not directly coded in our DNA -- our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children's children. Studies on survivors of traumatic events have suggested that exposure to stress may indeed have lasting effects on subsequent generations. But how exactly are these genetic "memories" passed on?

29 Mar 2016

Certain gut bacteria can influence the immune system to reduce severity of stroke

Certain types of bacteria in the gut can leverage the immune system to decrease the severity of stroke, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine. This finding can help mitigate stroke -- which is the second leading cause of death worldwide.

29 Mar 2016

Scientists identify two enzymes that appear to play role in metabolism, inflammation

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has discovered two enzymes that appear to play a role in metabolism and inflammation—and might someday be targeted with drugs to treat type 2 diabetes and inflammatory disorders.

29 Mar 2016

Stem cell-derived neurons used to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats

Writing in the March 28, 2016 issue of Nature Medicine, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, with colleagues in Japan and Wisconsin, report that they have successfully directed stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats, resulting in functional benefit.

29 Mar 2016

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers finds that the brains of young adult marijuana users react differently to social exclusion than do those of non-users. In a report published in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, the team reports that activation of the insula, a region of the brain that is usually active during social rejection, was reduced in young marijuana users when they were being excluded from participation in virtual game of catch.

26 Mar 2016

Study demonstrates possibility of simultaneous improvement in all mental, physical functions

Let's say you've decided to make some changes in your life. You're out of shape, your mind wanders, your self-esteem is wavering, and you have no idea what you just read. So you decide to focus on one thing -- losing weight, maybe -- and tackle the other issues later. You don't want to take on too much at once, right?

26 Mar 2016

Neuroscientists decipher new pathway in stem cell differentiation

How do neurons become neurons? They all begin as stem cells, undifferentiated and with the potential to become any cell in the body.Until now, however, exactly how that happens has been somewhat of a scientific mystery. New research conducted by UC Santa Barbara neuroscientists has deciphered some of the earliest changes that occur before stems cells transform into neurons and other cell types.

25 Mar 2016

Findings could help explain origin of type 2 diabetes in children of obese mothers

A new study led by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles reports that the presence of leptin - a hormone secreted by fat cells that is critical to maintaining energy balance in the body -- inhibits the prenatal development of neuronal connections between the brain and pancreas. The findings could help explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, particularly in children of obese mothers.

25 Mar 2016

Lack of UBE3A gene causes Angelman syndrome

The gene UBE3A plays a critical role in early neurological development. If UBE3A is overexpressed - or if the enzymatic function of UBE3A protein is hyperactive - autism ensues. A lack of functional UBE3A causes Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe developmental delay, motor deficits, absence of speech, and, in most cases, epilepsy.

25 Mar 2016

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

University of Leicester researchers to identify the benefits and challenges of promoting mental health through social media

24 Mar 2016

Defective PTCHD1 gene in brain creates symptoms associated with autism and ADHD

Evidence is mounting that a gene called PTCHD1 helps the brain sort between important sights and sounds — and distractions. This gene is active in a brain region that attaches more attention to a conversation with your boss, for instance, than to an air conditioner buzzing in the background.

24 Mar 2016

Researchers develop metastasis-on-a-chip system to advance cancer investigation, drug discovery

Advances in personalized medicine allow doctors to select the most promising drugs for certain types of malignant tumors.

24 Mar 2016

Wide-field imaging approach can help study underlying mechanisms of brain function

University of Oregon scientists have looked into the brains of living mice to see in real time the processing of sensory information and generation of behavioral responses.

24 Mar 2016

Exercise slows down cognitive decline in older adults

Exercise in older people is associated with a slower rate of decline in thinking skills that occurs with aging. People who reported light to no exercise experienced a decline equal to 10 more years of aging as compared to people who reported moderate to intense exercise, according to a population-based observational study published in the March 23, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Mar 2016

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeking a way to combat the growing epidemic of obesity have found that deleting microRNA-155 in female mice prevents diet-induced obesity.

23 Mar 2016

Study examines depressed mother's oxytocin levels and mother-child emotional bonding

Widely referred to as the "love" hormone, oxytocin is an indispensable part of childbirth and emotional mother-child bonding. Psychologists at Florida Atlantic University are conducting a novel study to determine how a mother's levels of oxytocin might be different in women with depression.

23 Mar 2016

Researchers link AFD activity to sensory responses and behavior

When the surrounding environment makes us uncomfortable, we are inclined to move to a more agreeable one. Studies have shown that animals do the same. They organize sequences of movements to migrate to preferred environments. Understanding how environmental information is converted to sensory information in the brain is vital for a deeper understanding of animal behavior and human perception.

23 Mar 2016

Sleep suppresses homeostatic rebalancing of brain activity

Why humans and other animals sleep is one of the remaining deep mysteries of physiology. One prominent theory in neuroscience is that sleep is when the brain replays memories "offline" to better encode them ("memory consolidation").

22 Mar 2016

Specialized gene editing system paves way to eventual cure for HIV patients

A specialized gene editing system designed by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is paving the way to an eventual cure for patients infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

22 Mar 2016

Neuroscience News and Research

High levels of radiation dosage may not improve survival of prostate cancer patients

New TAU study pinpoints precise mechanism that regulates inheritance of epigenetic responses

Certain gut bacteria can influence the immune system to reduce severity of stroke

Scientists identify two enzymes that appear to play role in metabolism, inflammation

Stem cell-derived neurons used to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

Study demonstrates possibility of simultaneous improvement in all mental, physical functions

Neuroscientists decipher new pathway in stem cell differentiation

Findings could help explain origin of type 2 diabetes in children of obese mothers

Lack of UBE3A gene causes Angelman syndrome

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

Defective PTCHD1 gene in brain creates symptoms associated with autism and ADHD

Researchers develop metastasis-on-a-chip system to advance cancer investigation, drug discovery

Wide-field imaging approach can help study underlying mechanisms of brain function

Exercise slows down cognitive decline in older adults

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Study examines depressed mother's oxytocin levels and mother-child emotional bonding

Researchers link AFD activity to sensory responses and behavior

Sleep suppresses homeostatic rebalancing of brain activity

Specialized gene editing system paves way to eventual cure for HIV patients

Event guide: 8th Neuroimmunology Drug Development Summit 2026 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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