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Mice brain study reveals secrets about Alzheimer’s

Researchers from University of California, Irvine have found the key responses of brain cells to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and say that this could help them understand the chronic debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disease better in future.

1 Aug 2019

Astrocytic MORs in the hippocampus responsible for conditioned place preference

If somebody asks me "are you a coffee addict?" I may say, "Yeah it seems like, but on the one condition, only in my office." I don't have that much craving for coffee at home, but just being in the office, where I used to drink coffee all the time seeking to get caffeine jitters, seems to trigger my caffeine-addicted brain.

31 Jul 2019

Fungus used in traditional medicine could slow neuron loss in ALS

A Chinese caterpillar fungus that is used in traditional Chinese medicine has been found to minimize motor neuron loss in mice models of ALS.

25 Jul 2019

Researchers decode factors that contribute to risk of developing motor neuron disease

Trinity College Dublin researchers have found that one in 347 men and one in 436 women can be expected to develop motor neuron disease during their lifetime.

25 Jul 2019

Researchers turn to single-cell analysis to understand a pediatric brain tumor

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, alongside others, have revealed the cells of origin for specific subtypes of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor.

25 Jul 2019

Researchers explore stem cells for answers to how fragile X syndrome develops

The lab of Yongchao Ma, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, discovered how the genetic defect in fragile X syndrome – a type of autism – delays production of neurons (nerve cells) at a critical time in the embryo's brain development.

24 Jul 2019

Brain protein mutation from an autistic person alters behavior in mice

A de novo gene mutation that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of mice.

24 Jul 2019

Gene mutation in the brain of autism patients alters behaviors in mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a wide range of possible causes, including genetics and environmental factors. Now, a new study suggests that a brain protein mutation may shed light on the mechanism of neurological and developmental illness.

23 Jul 2019

Exosomes can restore health to brain cells affected by developmental disease

Like overpacked suitcases unloaded from the underbelly of a jet, molecular satchels called exosomes are continuously deployed from all cells in the body—each one brimming with an assortment of contents that another cell may unpack and use.

23 Jul 2019

Intestinal microbes may affect course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown in mice that intestinal microbes, collectively termed the gut microbiome, may affect the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

22 Jul 2019

Aging nerve cells fail to take out the intracellular "trash"

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, have found that with age the neurons or nerve cells fail to perform an activity that they could when they were younger. The team explains that normal cells take out protein and other “trash” or “garbage” through a process of autophagy. This rids the cell of the dysfunctional proteins and aggregates of unused proteins.

22 Jul 2019

Researchers identify previously unknown pathways for sensory learning in the brain

We've all heard the saying that individuals learn at their own pace. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an automated, robotic training device that allows mice to learn at their leisure.

19 Jul 2019

Oxidative stress could play key role in the spreading of aberrant proteins in Parkinson's disease

Oxidative stress could be a driving force in the spreading of aberrant proteins involved in Parkinson's disease.

17 Jul 2019

Study finds sex-specific differences in risk and progression of Alzheimer's disease

The abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain is a biological marker for Alzheimer's disease, but the ways in which these proteins spread may help explain why the prevalence of Alzheimer's is higher in women than in men.

16 Jul 2019

Discovery could pave the way towards new treatments for neurological disorders

Scientists at the University of Warwick have discovered a new process that sets the fastest molecular motor on its marathon-like runs through our neurons.

16 Jul 2019

Social media use and television viewing linked to rise in adolescent depressive symptoms

A new study by a team of CHU Sainte-Justine scientists has revealed that social media use and television viewing are linked to increases in adolescent depressive symptoms.

16 Jul 2019

Researchers study blood flow bump that happens when the neurons get activated

When a group of our neurons get activated by thinking hard about a math problem or the vibrant colors of an exotic flower, within a single second blood flow to those brain cells increases a bit.

15 Jul 2019

New insights into molecular motors could help treat neurological disorders

Nerve cells form the basis of the nervous system in animals, as they transfer information between the various sensory and effector organs of the body and the brain and spinal cord. However, this function relies heavily on the transport of several proteins and other molecules between various parts of the cell.

15 Jul 2019

Schwann cells induce self-repair of damaged nerves

Researchers from Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and at the Swiss University of Fribourg have now found that the Schwann cells and axons may be behind this regeneration process.

11 Jul 2019

Study offers clues about how to prevent brain inflammation in Alzheimer's

A new study by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital offers clues about how to prevent inflammation of brain tissue, which promotes Alzheimer's disease

11 Jul 2019