Synapse News and Research

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A complete transcriptomic analysis of astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease

An international group of researchers led by the UAB analyzed the genes that are expressed in neurons and astrocytes based on data from 800 individuals and compared what happens in Alzheimer's patients and in people without diagnosed dementia.

18 Mar 2022

Researchers find turbocharger for memory in the brain cells of mice

Scientists have long known that learning requires the flow of calcium into and out of brain cells. But researchers at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute have now discovered that floods of calcium originating from within neurons can also boost learning.

17 Mar 2022

Study offers insight into molecular biology of the brain in bipolar disorder patients

In a comprehensive study involving one of the largest-ever samples of post-mortem brains, scientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, in collaboration with researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, have pinpointed significant differences in gene expression in two specific regions of the brains of hundreds of patients who had bipolar disorder.

7 Mar 2022

Researchers show how the biological system can be steered with artificial organic neurons

For the first time, researchers demonstrate an artificial organic neuron, a nerve cell, that can be integrated with a living plant and an artificial organic synapse.

23 Feb 2022

Scientists use entire human GI tracts to shed light on cellular functions

If you get nervous, you might feel it in your gut. If you eat chili, your gut might revolt, but your friend can eat anything and feel great. You can pop ibuprofen like candy with no ill effects, but your friend's belly might bleed and she might get no pain relief.

21 Feb 2022

Imaging microscopy shows killer T-cells targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Researchers demonstrate how cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) with specificity for SARS-CoV-2 eliminate multiple infected targets.

30 Jan 2022

Researchers uncover new findings about the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease

Utilizing cutting-edge proteomics, researchers at the Buck Institute and elsewhere have mapped the "tau interactome" uncovering new findings about the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease. Publishing in Cell, scientists found that mutant tau impacts the function of mitochondria in human neurons.

20 Jan 2022

New and improved method for imaging the structure of neural connections

The glory of tissue expansion technologies is that when structures, such as proteins that build nerve cell connections, are too small for a microscope to resolve, clever chemistry can make everything bigger and easier to see.

13 Jan 2022

Physical activity may help boost synaptic functioning in older adults

When elderly people stay active, their brains have more of a class of proteins that enhances the connections between neurons to maintain healthy cognition, a UC San Francisco study has found.

7 Jan 2022

Model of neuromuscular junction could accelerate new treatments for neuromuscular diseases

The neuromuscular junction-;where nerves and muscle fibers meet-;is an essential synapse for muscle contraction and movement.

6 Jan 2022

Star-shaped cells in the brain regulate cognitive flexibility

As we live in a dynamically changing environment, it is important for our brain to not only learn new things but also to modify existing memories.

21 Dec 2021

New tool provides an unprecedented view of brain cell activity in a synapse

To solve the mysteries of how learning and memory occur, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists have created a system to track millions of connections among brain cells in mice — all at the same time — when the animals' whiskers are tweaked, an indicator for learning.

20 Dec 2021

Ophthalmology professor receives $75,000 grant to support international collaborations on eye research

Steven DeVries, MD, PhD, the David Shoch, MD, PhD, professor of Ophthalmology, has received an International Research Collaborators Award from Research to Prevent Blindness.

14 Dec 2021

HyVIS project to develop bionic synapses for retinal prostheses

HyVIS, the European project coordinated by the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), is about to start.

3 Dec 2021

Tomosyn protein's key contribution to heterogeneity of neurons revealed

The versatility of the nervous system comes from not only the diversity of ways in which neurons communicate in circuits, but also their "plasticity," or ability to change those connections when new information has to be remembered, when their circuit partners change, or other conditions emerge.

29 Nov 2021

Identifying an important protein for motor coordination

News-Medical speaks to Professor Jorge Ruas about how he has identified an important protein involved in motor coordination.

10 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 leaves long-term impact on olfactory neurocircuit

The current study looked at the impact of the virus on the CNS in the Syrian golden hamster, a useful animal model for COVID-19.

9 Nov 2021

Salk scientists find a way that neurons and astrocytes work together to form healthy synapses

Brain cells called astrocytes play a key role in helping neurons develop and function properly, but there's still a lot scientists don't understand about how astrocytes perform these important jobs.

26 Oct 2021

Novel Einstein-developed strategy successfully suppresses HIV infections in mice

Armed with a novel strategy they developed for bolstering the body's immune response, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have successfully suppressed HIV infections in mice-;offering a path to a functional cure for HIV and other chronic viral infections.

21 Oct 2021

Understanding how brain cells talk could help find new treatments for neurological, psychiatric conditions

Experts from the University of Nottingham have discovered that reversing the modification of molecular messages at synapses in the human brain, may contribute to reversible mental health conditions such as anxiety, and memory diseases such as dementia.

20 Oct 2021