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New photoacoustic probes could revolutionize brain activity imaging

To understand the brain better, we need new methods to observe its activity.

28 Aug 2024

PET imaging and proteomics reveal distinct protein signatures in Alzheimer's disease progression

Researchers used PET imaging and proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid to study amyloid β and tau tangle loads in Alzheimer's patients, identifying 127 proteins linked to disease progression. The findings highlight distinct molecular pathways and potential therapeutic targets.

28 Aug 2024

NIH funds study on psychedelics' potential to treat methamphetamine addiction

John McCorvy, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW); Adam Halberstadt, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Director of the UCSD Center for Psychedelic Research; and Kevin Murnane, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Neuroscience and Director of Basic Science Research for the Louisiana Addiction Research Center at LSU Health Shreveport, were recently awarded a five-year, $2.4 million research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to uncover critical insights into how psychedelics could be used as a therapeutic to treat methamphetamine addiction.

27 Aug 2024

Novel bottom-up approach in synthetic immunology opens a new frontier for disease treatment

Synthetic immunology, an innovative field of research which could lead to fundamentally new approaches and methods in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer, is the topic of an article in the "Perspectives" section of the journal "Nature Nanotechnology". Herein, Heidelberg researchers Prof. Dr. Kerstin Göpfrich, Prof. Dr. Michael Platten, Prof. Dr. Friedrich Frischknecht, and Prof. Dr. Oliver T. Fackler describe a so-called bottom-up approach that uses the toolbox of nanotechnology and synthetic biology to construct systems from molecular building blocks and specifically equip them with immune functions.

27 Aug 2024

Stem cell study identifies unique glial contributions to multiple sclerosis

A team of scientists from The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and Case Western Reserve University has created the largest reported collection of stem cell models from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and used them to identify unique ways in which glia – integral support cells in the brain – contribute to the disease.

26 Aug 2024

EEG technology marks 100 years with promising future innovations

One hundred years after the human brain's electrical activity was first recorded, experts are celebrating the legacy of its discovery and sharing their predictions and priorities for its future.

23 Aug 2024

Kynurenine pathway blockade shows promise for restoring brain metabolism in Alzheimer's

Among the many ways neuroscientists think Alzheimer's disease may strip away brain function is by disrupting the glucose metabolism needed to fuel the healthy brain.

22 Aug 2024

Cancer drug holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases

A type of drug developed for treating cancer holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to a recent study by researchers at Penn State, Stanford University and an international team of collaborators.

22 Aug 2024

Robotic gait training improves mobility in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a rare X-linked neuromuscular disorder that results from an abnormal expansion of gene sequences in the androgen receptor gene.

22 Aug 2024

Study challenges migraine-Parkinson's connection

Contrary to previous research, a new study of female participants finds no link between migraine and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The study was published on August 21st, 2024, in the online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Aug 2024

Gut molecule blocks fat burning during fasting in C. elegans

In a struggle that probably sounds familiar to dieters everywhere, the less a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) worm eats, the more slowly it loses fat.

21 Aug 2024

Seizures detected at low levels of central thalamus stimulation in mice study

The idea of electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus has gained traction among researchers and clinicians because it can help arouse subjects from unconscious states induced by traumatic brain injury or anesthesia, and can boost cognition and performance in awake animals.

21 Aug 2024

UC Irvine researchers discover the neurons responsible for "item memory"

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have discovered the neurons responsible for "item memory," deepening our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves the details of "what" happened and offering a new target for treating Alzheimer's disease.

21 Aug 2024

Study identifies natural molecule that reduces pain sensitivity

Rutgers researchers have found a new way to manage the receptors that control the sense of touch, which could lead to treating chronic pain more effectively.

21 Aug 2024

Long COVID symptoms may stem from low cortisol and altered brain immune response

Proteins left behind by COVID-19 long after initial infection can cause cortisol levels in the brain to plummet, inflame the nervous system and prime its immune cells to hyper-react when another stressor arises, according to new animal research by University of Colorado Boulder scientists.

19 Aug 2024

ASTN2 gene knockout in mice reveals key autism-related behaviors

More than 70 genes have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition in which differences in the brain lead to a host of altered behaviors, including issues with language, social communication, hyperactivity, and repetitive movements.

16 Aug 2024

New RNA molecules in extracellular vesicles could transform cancer diagnosis

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new class of RNAs packed into tiny particles known as extracellular vesicles (EVs) that could revolutionize how cancer and other diseases are diagnosed.

16 Aug 2024

Study: Early brain wiring driven by spontaneous cellular activity

In humans, the process of learning is driven by different groups of cells in the brain firing together. For instance, when the neurons associated with the process of recognizing a dog begin to fire in a coordinated manner in response to the cells that encode the features of a dog - four legs, fur, a tail, etc. - a young child will eventually be able to identify dogs going forward.

16 Aug 2024

Groundbreaking study uncovers new genetic variants linked to normal pressure hydrocephalus

A new study by the University of Eastern Finland and partners identified new genetic variants associated with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

15 Aug 2024

Brain scans can detect consciousness in some unresponsive patients

New research co-led by experts at Mass General Brigham found that brain scans can detect consciousness in some patients with brain injury who are unresponsive.

14 Aug 2024