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£4.25 million research grant seeks to discover meaningful treatments for motor neuron disease

A group of charities and government research organisations has awarded £4.25 million to MND experts at six UK universities to kick start collaborative efforts to end motor neuron disease (MND).

20 Jun 2022

Scientists explore brainstem circuits to find nausea intervention strategies

In a new study, researchers uncovered the organization of nausea-associated brainstem circuits to show that selectively blocking the excitatory neurons responsive to nausea-promoting growth/differentiation factor 15 suppresses nausea-related behaviors.

20 Jun 2022

LifeArc and UK DRI launch new partnership to accelerate development of new treatments for dementia

LifeArc and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have today launched a new partnership to accelerate development of new diagnostic tests, treatments, and devices from scientific research discoveries to benefit people with dementia, which around 900,000 people in the UK are living with.

15 Jun 2022

Brain area communication changes over much faster timescales than previously thought

Understanding how brain areas communicate is one of the oldest questions in neuroscience. Researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL used causal techniques to uncover how two neocortical areas in the brain communicate with one another and found that their influence on each other changes over much faster-timescales than previously thought.

10 Jun 2022

New, tiny probe for long-lasting and minimally invasive interfacing with neural circuits

Researchers at the University of California San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a tiny neural probe that can be implanted for longer time periods to record and stimulate neural activity, while minimizing injury to the surrounding tissue.

9 Jun 2022

Discovery could lead to more effective treatment for chronic, pathological pain

The world has changed since 1664, when French philosopher and scientist Rene Descartes first claimed the brain was responsible for feeling the sensation of pain.

9 Jun 2022

Discovery of small protein’s structure could lead to new therapies for neurological disorders

Scientists have, for the first time, revealed at the atomic level the structure of a protein that carries one of the body's most important neurotransmitters into neurons.

8 Jun 2022

Brain motor and fear circuits orchestrate the immune response to acute stress

A new study explores how acute stressors affected mice in terms of their immune responses in specific regions of the brain.

2 Jun 2022

ASU study explores components of the immune system

Unless you are an identical twin, you probably aren't often mistaken for someone else. Likewise, our own sense of self as distinct from all other humans is deeply ingrained since early childhood.

2 Jun 2022

Scientists discover a new role for protein complex at the center of Bardet-Biedl syndrome

Scientists have identified a new role for a protein complex at the center of a human genetic disorder called Bardet-Biedl syndrome, or BBS, for which there is currently no cure.

31 May 2022

Study offers deeper insight into the complexity of the human brain

A recent study out of the Complexity Science Hub Vienna paves the way to a deeper insight into the complexity of the human brain, one of the largest and most sophisticated organs in the human body.

27 May 2022

Study shows how synchronization contributes to transmission, processing of information in the brain

In the early 20th century scientists began to record brain activity using electrodes attached to the scalp. To their surprise, they saw that brain activity is characterized by slow and rapid ascending and descending signals which were subsequently called "brain waves".

26 May 2022

Gabapentin treatment may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke

The drug gabapentin, currently prescribed to control seizures and reduce nerve pain, may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke by helping neurons on the undamaged side of the brain take up the signaling work of lost cells, new research in mice suggests.

23 May 2022

A nano-sized neuromorphic memory device simultaneously emulates neurons and synapses

Researchers have reported a nano-sized neuromorphic memory device that emulates neurons and synapses simultaneously in a unit cell, another step toward completing the goal of neuromorphic computing designed to rigorously mimic the human brain with semiconductor devices.

20 May 2022

Study explores if prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 increased sensitivity to a mitochondrial toxin known to induce parkinsonism

The authors of the current study looked at the potential for an increased risk of parkinsonism following a bout of SARS-CoV-2 infection through accepted post-viral mechanisms.

20 May 2022

Epilepsy drug inhibits the growth of NF1 tumors in mice

People with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) develop tumors on nerves throughout their bodies. These tumors are usually benign - meaning they don't spread to other parts of the body and are not considered life-threatening - but they can still cause serious medical problems such as blindness, especially when they form in the brain and nerves.

19 May 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection could increase the risk of brain degeneration seen in Parkinson's disease

Brain fog, headaches, insomnia are some of the neurological symptoms doctors have observed in COVID-19 patients.

18 May 2022

New memristors for neuromorphic computing

Researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and Empa have developed a new material for an electronic component that can be used in a wider range of applications than its predecessors.

18 May 2022

Experimental drug more effective than existing FDA-approved medications for ALS

New research on the experimental drug, NU-9, invented and developed by two Northwestern University scientists to treat ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), shows it is more effective than existing FDA-approved drugs for the disease.

17 May 2022

Targeting specific neurons modulates memory retrieval and alters anxiety-like behaviors in mice

We humans lose mental acuity, an unfortunate side effect of aging. And for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the loss of cognitive function often accompanied by mood disorders such as anxiety is a harrowing experience.

16 May 2022