Neurons News and Research

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Study sheds light on neuronal synchronization and conscious experience

For decades, scientists have focused on how the brain processes information in a hierarchical manner, with different brain areas specialized for different tasks.

12 Aug 2024

New study links brain cell structures to memory loss in aging and dementia

Researchers assessed whether dendritic spine head diameter in the temporal cortex is a better predictor of episodic memory performance in older adults than synapse quantity, accounting for β amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and sex.

12 Aug 2024

Can odors help fight infection? Nematode research suggests so

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, used the nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans to determine whether the olfactory nervous system could non-autonomously control the mitochondrial unfolded protein response in response to cellular stress.

12 Aug 2024

Brain circuits connecting stress to gut bacteria reveal new pathways for immune regulation

Researchers have discovered a brain-gut circuit that links stress to changes in gut bacteria, revealing that emotional states can directly influence immune function through the duodenal glands.

11 Aug 2024

Study reveals how NPAS4 regulates drug-context associations and impacts relapse

Most people wouldn't think twice after seeing sugar spilled on a counter. But for someone with a history of cocaine use, this visual cue could trigger powerful associations with their past drug use and a compulsive urge to seek the drug.

9 Aug 2024

Enzyme blockade improves memory updating in older mice

Everyone has moments of forgetfulness from time to time, especially as we get older. But older adults don't just have difficulty remembering new information.

9 Aug 2024

Study identifies brain circuit that balances hunger-driven and pleasure-driven eating

People eat either because they are hungry or for pleasure, even in the absence of hunger. While hunger-driven eating is fundamental for survival, pleasure-driven feeding may accelerate the onset of obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

9 Aug 2024

New technique reveals abnormalities in motor neurone disease

Pathological abnormalities associated with motor neurone disease have been identified using a new technique developed at the University of Birmingham.

8 Aug 2024

Breakthrough molecule reverses Alzheimer's symptoms

In a new study, a molecule identified and synthesized by UCLA Health researchers was shown to restore cognitive functions in mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease by effectively jumpstarting the brain's memory circuitry.

8 Aug 2024

Research finds synaptic strength key to maintaining memory in old age

Over the course of life, memory fades with varying degrees, robbing older people of the ability to recollect personal experiences.

7 Aug 2024

How C. elegans uses smell to preemptively guard against pathogen attacks

Many organisms react to the smell of deadly pathogens by reflexively avoiding them. But a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that the nematode C. elegans also reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its intestinal cells to withstand a potential onslaught.

7 Aug 2024

New treatment boosts pluripotent stem cell production in mice

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have discovered a treatment which accelerates the production and quality of pluripotent stem cells in mice.

7 Aug 2024

Study reveals key brain cells help resist food temptations in favor of exercise

Hypocretin/orexin neurons (HONs) are crucial for resisting temptation and choosing exercise over highly palatable foods. This finding highlights potential targets for promoting physical activity and combating obesity.

7 Aug 2024

Seaweed extract shows promise in protecting neurons in Parkinson’s disease

Ecklonia cava polyphenols (ECPs) show promise in reducing neuronal damage caused by rotenone in Parkinson’s disease (PD) by activating the Nrf2-ARE pathway, highlighting their potential as a neuroprotective treatment.

7 Aug 2024

Sensory nerves drive breast cancer growth and spread, study reveals

Cancer doesn't grow in a vacuum - each tumor grows in a particular microenvironment within the body and spreads through a tangled web of vasculature and nerves.

7 Aug 2024

Study uncovers roles of certain brain cells in Alzheimer's plaque formation

A study in Nature Neuroscience found that both neurons and oligodendrocytes contribute to amyloid-β plaque burden in Alzheimer's disease, highlighting new therapeutic targets.

7 Aug 2024

Study uncovers how TREM2 R47H mutation affects Alzheimer's plaques

Researchers led by the University of California, Irvine have discovered how the TREM2 R47H genetic mutation causes certain brain areas to develop abnormal protein clumps, called beta-amyloid plaques, associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

6 Aug 2024

Accelerated neuronal development linked to intellectual disabilities and autism

The mechanisms underlying intellectual disabilities or autism remain largely unknown. Researchers in the labs of Prof. Pierre Vanderhaeghen and Prof. Vincent Bonin at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research and NERF have discovered that mutations in a gene called SYNGAP1 disrupt the prolonged development of human neurons, which is thought to be essential for normal cognitive function.

6 Aug 2024

Brain chemical orexin plays key role in choosing exercise over treats

Should I go and exercise, or would I rather go to the café and enjoy a delectable strawberry milkshake? Until now, what exactly happens in our brain when we make this decision has been a mystery to science, but researchers at ETH Zurich have found the solution.

6 Aug 2024