Neurons News and Research

RSS

eRNA molecules are key players in brain development, says study

How does the brain work? This question is one of the greatest scientific mysteries, and neurobiologists have only recently begun to piece together the molecular building blocks that enable human beings to be "thinking" animals.

15 Apr 2010

First direct recording of mirror neurons in the brain

Mirror neurons, many say, are what make us human. They are the cells in the brain that fire not only when we perform a particular action but also when we watch someone else perform that same action.

13 Apr 2010

Antidepressants and mood stabilizers may benefit stroke victims

A study in rodents shows the growth of new neurons, also known as neurogenesis, lessens the severity of stroke and dramatically improves function following a stroke. The research, undertaken at the Buck Institute for Age Research, suggests that drugs shown to promote neurogenesis in rodents could have benefits for human stroke victims and that those drugs-which include antidepressants and mood stabilizers such as lithium-may be suitable for study in human clinical trials.

13 Apr 2010

Researchers may be one step closer to slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers may be one step closer to slowing the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. An animal study supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, shows that by targeting the blood-brain barrier, researchers are able to slow the accumulation of a protein associated with the progression of the illness.

13 Apr 2010

Transgenic mouse model study confirms passage of maternal thyroid hormones to fetus

Until now there were only indirect evidence of the transfer of thyroid hormones from mother to fetus through the placenta during pregnancy. That event is very important because the maternal thyroid hormones appear to play a key role in the development of the nervous system and other organs of the fetus; so it's true that in case of maternal thyroid disease, such hypothyroidism, have a direct bearing on the unborn child with reduction, also significant, to its Q.I..

12 Apr 2010

MIF molecule plays crucial role in neurogenesis

There has been little progress in the way we treat depression and anxiety for over thirty years, but a recent study at EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) may open the door to new strategies. In an article published online February 23, 2010, in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers from two laboratories at the Brain Mind Institute at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) explain how understanding the functioning of a molecule called MIF, or macrophage migration inhibitory factor, may change the way we treat depression.

12 Apr 2010

Hormones leptin and insulin work together to affect regulation of blood sugar levels, female fertility

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest that the hormones leptin and insulin work together in specific neurons in the hypothalamus region of the brain to affect both the regulation of blood sugar levels in the body and, surprisingly, female fertility.

12 Apr 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids improve nerve regeneration, prevent psychotic disorders and reduce cellular aging

Improving nerve regeneration after corneal surgery, preventing psychotic disorders in those at high risk for them and reducing cellular aging are three emerging benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood, according to milestone research described in the April 2010 PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life online publications for health professionals and consumers, respectively.

9 Apr 2010

Star Scientific completes Research and Royalty Agreement with SRQ Bio

Star Scientific announced today that it has completed a "Research and Royalty Agreement" with the Roskamp Institute's affiliate, SRQ Bio, LLC, under which the Institute will conduct research on a compound developed by the company's Rock Creek Pharmaceutical subsidiary that medical researchers at the Institute believe may have an application in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Apr 2010

Non-conscious, learning systems of the brain simpler and evolutionarily older, study substantiates

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet provides evidence that basic human learning systems use areas of the brain that also exist in the most primitive vertebrates, such as certain fish, reptiles and amphibians. The study involved an investigation into the limbic striatum, one of the evolutionarily oldest parts of the brain, and the ability to learn movements, consciously and unconsciously, through repetition.

7 Apr 2010

Researchers commence Phase 2 research study to test CERE-110 for AD

Researchers at Banner Sun Health Research Institute are about to start the first Phase 2 research study to test a gene transfer agent for Alzheimer's disease. AD is a degenerative and ultimately fatal disorder affecting as many as five million Americans and that number is expected to soar to more than 11 million by 2040.

7 Apr 2010

Research highlights first steps in the formation of Lewy bodies, the hallmark of Parkinson's brain

Although the cause of Parkinson's disease remains a mystery, scientists now have a better understanding of the earliest stages of abnormal aggregation of a key disease-associated protein. The research, published by Cell Press online on April 6th in Biophysical Journal, provides new insight into the first steps in the formation of neurotoxic structures called Lewy bodies that are the hallmark of the Parkinson's brain.

7 Apr 2010

Defective protein responsible for SCA5 disease cuts synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons

The neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) damages nerve cells in two ways. University of Minnesota researchers now report that the defective protein responsible for the disease cuts the number of synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons.

7 Apr 2010

Scientists develop low-cost behavioral assessment to detect progression of MCI

Your brain's capacity for information is a reliable predictor of Alzheimer's disease and can be cheaply and easily tested, according to scientists.

6 Apr 2010

Study: Genetic mutation in mice elevates risk of stress-induced depression

Depression and schizophrenia can be triggered by environmental stimuli and often occur in response to stressful life events. However, some people have a higher predisposition to develop these diseases, which highlights a role for genetics in determining a person's disease risk.

6 Apr 2010

Some therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause cell death: UCSD

Some current therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause further neural degeneration and cell death, according to a breakthrough discovery by UC San Diego researchers. By combining three dimensional computer simulations with high resolution atomic force microscopy membrane protein and cell imaging, electrical recording and various cellular assays, UCSD nano-biophysicist Ratnesh Lal and his colleagues investigated the structure and function of truncated peptides, known as nonamyloidgenic peptides, formed by some Alzheimer's drug candidates.

5 Apr 2010

Clinical utility and pharmacological action of MN-166 in treatment of MS

MediciNova, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market and the Hercules Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange, today reported that this week's issue of Neurology includes two articles related to the potential clinical utility and unique pharmacological action of MN-166 in treating multiple sclerosis (MS).

3 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

A nanometer-scale probe designed to slip into a cell wall and fuse with it could offer researchers a portal for extended eavesdropping on the inner electrical activity of individual cells.

2 Apr 2010

Brain stem cells in subventricular zone characterized by transcription factor Protein Tlx

The "cradle" of new neurons in the adult brain is well known. It is what is called the subventricular zone, a tissue structure lining the lateral ventricles. This is where neural or brain stem cells reside, which are responsible for generating new neurons if needed. For many years now, the subventricular zone has been suspected to be the origin of specific malignant brain tumors called gliomas, the most deadly type of which is glioblastoma.

2 Apr 2010

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

In what may provide the most compelling evidence to date, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated how a genetic variant may lead to schizophrenia by causing a disruption in communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex regions of the brain, areas believed to be responsible for carrying out working memory.

2 Apr 2010

Neurons News and Research

eRNA molecules are key players in brain development, says study

First direct recording of mirror neurons in the brain

Antidepressants and mood stabilizers may benefit stroke victims

Researchers may be one step closer to slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Transgenic mouse model study confirms passage of maternal thyroid hormones to fetus

MIF molecule plays crucial role in neurogenesis

Hormones leptin and insulin work together to affect regulation of blood sugar levels, female fertility

Omega-3 fatty acids improve nerve regeneration, prevent psychotic disorders and reduce cellular aging

Star Scientific completes Research and Royalty Agreement with SRQ Bio

Non-conscious, learning systems of the brain simpler and evolutionarily older, study substantiates

Researchers commence Phase 2 research study to test CERE-110 for AD

Research highlights first steps in the formation of Lewy bodies, the hallmark of Parkinson's brain

Defective protein responsible for SCA5 disease cuts synaptic terminals and snarls traffic inside neurons

Scientists develop low-cost behavioral assessment to detect progression of MCI

Study: Genetic mutation in mice elevates risk of stress-induced depression

Some therapies being investigated for Alzheimer's disease may cause cell death: UCSD

Clinical utility and pharmacological action of MN-166 in treatment of MS

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

Brain stem cells in subventricular zone characterized by transcription factor Protein Tlx

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

Neuroscience - Second Edition eBook

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News