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Scientists discover linchpin protein that drives mitochondria's calcium machinery

Mitochondria, those battery-pack organelles that fuel the energy of almost every living cell, have an insatiable appetite for calcium. Whether in a dish or a living organism, the mitochondria of most organisms eagerly absorb this chemical compound.

20 Jun 2011

Scientists discover three susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy

An international research team, co-led by scientists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, have discovered three potential susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease but is resistant to Parkinson's medications.

20 Jun 2011

Self-perception of body traced to specialized multisensory neurons

By taking advantage of a "body swap" illusion, researchers have captured the brain regions involved in one of the most fundamental aspects of self-awareness: how we recognize our bodies as our own, distinct from others and from the outside world. That self-perception is traced to specialized multisensory neurons in various parts of the brain that integrate different sensory inputs across all body parts into a unified view of the body.

17 Jun 2011

Study provides insight into how humans and other vertebrates generate sounds

Cornell researchers have identified regions of a fish brain that reveal the basic circuitry for how humans and other vertebrates generate sound used for social communication.

16 Jun 2011

Newborn neurons help create emotional context of memory

Fear burns memories into our brain, and new research by University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists explains how.

15 Jun 2011

Scientists find novel form of brain plasticity

Scientists have known for years that neurogenesis takes place throughout adulthood in the hippocampus of the mammalian brain. Now Columbia researchers have found that under stressful conditions, neural stem cells in the adult hippocampus can produce not only neurons, but also new stem cells.

14 Jun 2011

Genetic link to migraine found

In a latest study researchers have discovered a trio of genes tied to migraine headaches, including one in which the link is exclusive to women.

13 Jun 2011

fEITER imaging method reveals real time loss of consciousness in distinct brain regions

For the first time researchers have been able to watch what happens to the brain as it loses consciousness. Using sophisticated imaging equipment they have constructed a 3-D movie of the brain as it changes while an anaesthetic drug takes effect.

13 Jun 2011

Protein missing in fragile X syndrome acts as a molecular toggle switch in brain cells

New research shows how the protein missing in fragile X syndrome - the most common inherited form of intellectual disability - acts as a molecular toggle switch in brain cells.

10 Jun 2011

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB restores function in rats with Parkinson's disease

Few treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) restore function for extended periods. In a new study published today in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, an international group of researchers report that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) restored function in rodents and shows promise as a clinical candidate drug for treatment of PD.

10 Jun 2011

Scripps Research receives $2.2M NIH grant to develop novel therapeutics for substance abuse

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of addiction to multiple substances in a national effort with the University of Kansas.

10 Jun 2011

Repligen total revenue increases 30% to $27,291,000 for fiscal year 2011

Repligen Corporation today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011, ended March 31, 2011.

9 Jun 2011

Article reports on bright future and enormous need for stem cell therapeutics

An article in the current issue of Technology & Innovation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors - reports on the bright future and enormous need for stem cell therapeutics that may offer hope for those suffering from debilitating and deadly diseases.

9 Jun 2011

Key molecule of vascular system directs axons during neural circuit formation

Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), and his team have shown for the first time that a key molecule of the vascular system directs axons during the formation of neural circuits.

9 Jun 2011

High-fat diet may cause brain nerve cell injury

Obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet may involve injury to neurons, or nerve cells, in a key part of the brain that controls body weight, according to the authors of a new animal study. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

9 Jun 2011

New research on spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies."

8 Jun 2011

Scientists find neuronal cells die in Alzheimer's disease

In what they are calling a new direction in the study of Alzheimer's disease, UC Santa Barbara scientists have made an important finding about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

8 Jun 2011

New neurons may take over six months to mature

New neurons take more than six months to mature in adult monkeys and that time is likely even longer in humans, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the University of Illinois, and Pennsylvania State University.

8 Jun 2011

Consumption of high-fat food causes more insulin to be released by the pancreas and leads to obesity

Fat-rich food makes you fat. Behind this simple equation lie complex signalling pathways, through which the neurotransmitters in the brain control the body's energy balance.

7 Jun 2011

Light exposure can enhance brain's visual circuits

Any parent knows that newborns still have a lot of neurological work to do to attain fully acute vision. In a wide variety of nascent animals, genes provide them with only a rough wiring plan and then leave it to the developing nervous system to do its own finish work.

6 Jun 2011