Neurons News and Research

RSS

Study raises hopes for new drugs to treat brain disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance

Although drugs have been developed that inhibit the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain - a condition which causes many brain disorders and nervous system diseases - the exact understanding of the mechanism by which these drugs work has not yet been fully understood.

8 Jan 2014

PET imaging of brain reveals ketamine may act as antidepressant by regulating serotonin activity

Ketamine is a potent anesthetic employed in human and veterinary medicine, and sometimes used illegally as a recreational drug. The drug is also a promising candidate for the fast treatment of depression in patients who do not respond to other medications.

7 Jan 2014

Mannotriose regulates learning and memory signal transduction in hippocampus

The main component of the Chinese herb Rehmannia, mannotriose, can improve learning and memory. Dr. Lina Zhang and colleagues from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China used 1 - 10 mol/L mannotriose to treat primary hippocampal neurons insulted with 1 - 10 mol/L corticosterone.

7 Jan 2014

New ways to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons.

7 Jan 2014

Residual structures in brain play key role in restoring vision in stroke patients

Scientists know that vision restoration training (VRT) can help patients who have lost part of their vision due to glaucoma, optic nerve damage, or stroke regain some of their lost visual functions, but they do not understand what factors determine how much visual recovery is achieved.

6 Jan 2014

Researchers study changes in gray matter volume in chronic back pain patients

Accumulating evidence indicates that chronic pain of different etiologies is often associated with distinct gray matter volume reductions in multiple brain regions associated with acute pain processing, and gray matter atrophy critically affects the perception and modulation of chronic pain.

6 Jan 2014

Increased activities of ClC-3 chloride channel may be involved in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis

Over-production of nitric oxide and ion disturbance are involved in neuronal apoptosis around the ischemic area following ischemic brain injury. Prof. Quanzhong Chang and team from Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical College in China established a rat model of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis by using 3-morpholinosyndnomine (SIN-1), a nitric oxide donor.

6 Jan 2014

Reading can boost brain function, finds neuroscience research

Many people can recall reading at least one cherished story that they say changed their life. Now researchers at Emory University have detected what may be biological traces related to this feeling: Actual changes in the brain that linger, at least for a few days, after reading a novel.

5 Jan 2014

Molecule produced by brain acts as natural defence mechanism against cannabis

Two INSERM research teams led by Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Giovanni Marsicano (INSERM Unit 862 "Neurocentre Magendie" in Bordeaux) recently discovered that pregnenolone, a molecule produced by the brain, acts as a natural defence mechanism against the harmful effects of cannabis in animals.

3 Jan 2014

Scientists discover new class of cells expressing olfactory receptors in human airways

Your nose is not the only organ in your body that can sense cigarette smoke wafting through the air. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have showed that your lungs have odor receptors as well.

3 Jan 2014

Opioid receptor-triggered spinal mTORC1 activation contributes to morphine tolerance, hyperalgesia

Currently, opioids are the standard treatment for chronic pain. Patients on opioids for long periods of time become desensitized to these drugs or become paradoxically hypersensitive to pain (hyperalgesia); however, the adaptive mechanisms are not well understood.

3 Jan 2014

MitoQ antioxidant reverses MS-like disease in animal

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that an antioxidant designed more than a dozen years ago to fight damage within human cells significantly helps symptoms in mice that have a multiple sclerosis-like disease.

27 Dec 2013

Three foods can help prevent Alzheimer's disease

The number of Americans with Alzheimer's is projected to triple by 2050. While there isn't a cure for Alzheimer's, certain lifestyle changes can help prevent cognitive decline.

27 Dec 2013

Activation of protein P300 plays central role in DNA repair in hippocampal neurons

Various medications have been developed to treat neurodegenerative disorders, and drugs without significant side effects are gaining widespread interest such disorders.

27 Dec 2013

Transient receptor potential channel A1 causes calcitonin gene-related peptide release in neurons

Transient receptor potential channel A1 is one of the important transducers of noxious stimuli in the primary afferents, which may contribute to generation of neurogenic inflammation and hyperalgesia.

26 Dec 2013

Humans with high motor excitability have better working memory

Humans with a high motor excitability have a better working memory than humans with a low excitability. This was shown in a study conducted by scientists from the Transfacultary Research Platform at the University of Basel. By measuring the motor excitability, conclusions can be drawn as to the general cortical excitability - as well as to cognitive performance.

23 Dec 2013

CUMC researchers clarify three fundamental issues about Alzheimer's disease

Using high-resolution functional MRI imaging in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in mouse models of the disease, Columbia University Medical Center researchers have clarified three fundamental issues about Alzheimer's: where it starts, why it starts there, and how it spreads. In addition to advancing understanding of Alzheimer's, the findings could improve early detection of the disease, when drugs may be most effective.

22 Dec 2013

Autoimmune clue to narcolepsy

Researchers have identified immune cells in patients with narcolepsy that react against hypocretin, the lack of which causes the disorder.

20 Dec 2013

Doctors should consider underlying inflammatory conditions when selecting anti-epilepsy drugs, say researchers

Physicians at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have been investigating if established anti-epilepsy drugs have anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory properties - an effect for which these pharmaceutical agents are not usually tested.

20 Dec 2013

Parkinson's disease patients may find difficulties in recognizing emotions

Patients affected by Parkinson's disease may experience, in addition to the more obvious motor symptoms (such as tremors and stiffness), difficulties recognizing emotions in the facial expressions and speech prosody (intonation) of other people. A number of investigations have shown that even deep brain stimulation, a treatment that has become widely used in recent years, may cause similar disorders.

20 Dec 2013

Neurons News and Research

Study raises hopes for new drugs to treat brain disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance

PET imaging of brain reveals ketamine may act as antidepressant by regulating serotonin activity

Mannotriose regulates learning and memory signal transduction in hippocampus

New ways to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses

Residual structures in brain play key role in restoring vision in stroke patients

Researchers study changes in gray matter volume in chronic back pain patients

Increased activities of ClC-3 chloride channel may be involved in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis

Reading can boost brain function, finds neuroscience research

Molecule produced by brain acts as natural defence mechanism against cannabis

Scientists discover new class of cells expressing olfactory receptors in human airways

Opioid receptor-triggered spinal mTORC1 activation contributes to morphine tolerance, hyperalgesia

MitoQ antioxidant reverses MS-like disease in animal

Three foods can help prevent Alzheimer's disease

Activation of protein P300 plays central role in DNA repair in hippocampal neurons

Transient receptor potential channel A1 causes calcitonin gene-related peptide release in neurons

Humans with high motor excitability have better working memory

CUMC researchers clarify three fundamental issues about Alzheimer's disease

Autoimmune clue to narcolepsy

Doctors should consider underlying inflammatory conditions when selecting anti-epilepsy drugs, say researchers

Parkinson's disease patients may find difficulties in recognizing emotions

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

Latest News