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Method provides new insight into brain cells that maintain body's master circadian clock.

UT Southwestern scientists have developed a genetically engineered mouse and imaging system that lets them visualize fluctuations in the circadian clocks of cell types in mice.

7 Aug 2020

Study: Early training of cell development and network improves response

When it comes to training neural circuits for tissue engineering or biomedical applications, a new study suggests a key parameter: Train them young.

7 Aug 2020

Study uncovers sex-specific differences in neural mechanisms for glucose regulation

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences have discovered neural mechanisms in mice specific to females that can shift estrogen from playing a protective role in glucose metabolism to one that is disruptive.

6 Aug 2020

Non-hormonal therapy found to be effective for menopause-associated symptoms

A non-hormonal therapy to treat hot flashes and other symptoms associated with menopause was found to be effective in a recent clinical trial, according to a published study by a team of researchers including faculty from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

6 Aug 2020

Mice study shows a promising therapy for spinal cord injuries

Using stem cells to restore lost functions due to spinal cord injury (SCI) has long been an ambition of scientists and doctors.

6 Aug 2020

Researchers evaluate the properties of anterograde and retrograde viral tracers

Researchers from the newly-established Center for Neural Circuit Mapping at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine evaluate the properties of anterograde and retrograde viral tracers, comparing their strengths and limitations for use in neural circuit mapping. Results were published today as a primer in Neuron.

5 Aug 2020

Researchers discover neural progenitor cells in the optic nerve

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have for the first time identified stem cells in the region of the optic nerve, which transmits signals from the eye to the brain.

30 Jul 2020

Mice born with Fragile X syndrome have fewer cell antennas

Structures called primary cilia - which act like TV antennas for cells to detect signals - are present in fewer numbers in mice born with Fragile X syndrome, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

30 Jul 2020

New approach reduces power requirements of neural interfaces while improving accuracy

By tuning into a subset of brain waves, University of Michigan researchers have dramatically reduced the power requirements of neural interfaces while improving their accuracy--a discovery that could lead to long-lasting brain implants that can both treat neurological diseases and enable mind-controlled prosthetics and machines.

27 Jul 2020

Continuous survival of neurons is intrinsically programmed during development

When our neurons -- the principle cells of the brain -- die, so do we.Most neurons are created during embryonic development and have no "backup" after birth. Researchers have generally believed that their survival is determined nearly extrinsically, or by outside forces, such as the tissues and cells that neurons supply with nerve cells.

25 Jul 2020

Study uncovers how the gut communicates with spinal cord and brain

You're faced with a big decision so your second brain provides what's normally referred to as 'gut instinct', but how did this sensation reach you before it was too late?

24 Jul 2020

The brain builds maps of abstract relationships in the same way as physical spaces

Even in these social-distanced days, we keep in our heads a map of our relationships with other people: family, friends, co-workers and how they relate to each other.

24 Jul 2020

Epigenomic modifications play key role in the development of lung tumors

As cancer cells evolve, many of their genes become overactive while others are turned down. These genetic changes can help tumors grow out of control and become more aggressive, adapt to changing conditions, and eventually lead the tumor to metastasize and spread elsewhere in the body.

23 Jul 2020

Study reveals brain network mechanism causing spatial memory impairment

Patients with Alzheimer's disease frequently suffer from spatial memory loss, such as no recognition of where they are, and forgetting where they put their belongings.

21 Jul 2020

Using AI to pinpoint neurons involved in gait reacquisition

Researchers at EPFL are able to get paralyzed rodents walking again by stimulating the animals' damaged spinal cords.

20 Jul 2020

Researchers discover a new class of synapse-saving proteins

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have discovered a new class of proteins that protect synapses from being destroyed.

17 Jul 2020

Study finds link between mental imagery and vision

Medical University of South Carolina researchers report in Current Biology that the brain uses similar visual areas for mental imagery and vision, but it uses low-level visual areas less precisely with mental imagery than with vision.

12 Jul 2020

Biologists discover extraordinary regeneration of injured neurons in zebrafish

Biologists from the University of Bayreuth have discovered a uniquely rapid form of regeneration in injured neurons and their function in the central nervous system of zebrafish.

12 Jul 2020

Study could help determine motor abilities that are difficult to recover after traumatic brain injury

After a traumatic brain injury, why do some people quickly regain their skills while others face long-lasting setbacks? Boston University neuroscientist Jerry Chen and his colleagues have been trying to answer this question by understanding which parts of the brain are used to process sensory information and remember different skills.

10 Jul 2020

Scientists identify a new role for covalent linker in transmembrane ion channels

In the molecular-level world of ion channels - passageways through membranes that carry signals in a cell's environment and allow it to respond - researchers have debated about the role of a small piece of the channel called a linker, says computational biophysicist Jianhan Chen at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

10 Jul 2020