Brain Cell News and Research

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Adult brain cells revert back to embryonic state after injury, study finds

When adult brain cells are injured, they revert to an embryonic state, according to new findings published in the April 15, 2020 issue of Nature by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere.

16 Apr 2020

Discovery of specialized gut-brain circuit offers insight into sugar preference

Artificial sweeteners have never fully succeeded in impersonating sugar. Now, a Columbia study in mice has identified a brain mechanism that may explain why.

15 Apr 2020

Study reveals molecular causes of brain asymmetry

Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained."

15 Apr 2020

Tracking tau protein yields insight into possible treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

In the fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the tau protein is a major culprit.

1 Apr 2020

Study provides insights into pain signaling mechanism in the brain

Fast communication between our brain cells - or neurotransmission as it is called - is hugely important for our brain to work properly. Some of the messengers involved in this form of communication are neuropeptides, which are chemicals produced in the brain.

31 Mar 2020

Study uncovers a new childhood-onset neurodegenerative disorder

A study has uncovered a new neurodegenerative disorder in which children experience developmental regression and severe epilepsy.

21 Mar 2020

High-speed microscope records the passage of millisecond electrical pulses through neurons

Electrical and chemical signals flash through our brains constantly as we move through the world, but it would take a high-speed camera and a window into the brain to capture their fleeting paths.

19 Mar 2020

Research provides better understanding of how tremor happens

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital have improved our understanding of how tremor -- the most common movement disorder -- happens, opening the possibility of novel therapies for this condition.

19 Mar 2020

Protective brain-cell housekeeping mechanism may also be involved in regulating sleep

An important biological mechanism that is thought to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's may also be involved in regulating sleep, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

12 Mar 2020

BIN1 deficit leads to impaired spatial learning and memory

Bridging integrator 1, known as BIN1, is the second most common risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to genome-wide studies of genetic variants. Yet, scientists know little about what this protein does in the brain.

11 Mar 2020

Researchers probe how specific genes can impact early brain development

When brains begin developing, there are a lot of moving parts -- and when mutations happen in early neurodevelopment, it can lead to disorders like macrocephaly and autism.

11 Mar 2020

Scientists create new tool to study the genetic underpinnings of brain disorders

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and colleagues created a new computational tool called H-MAGMA to study the genetic underpinnings of nine brain disorders, including the identification of new genes associated with each disorder.

9 Mar 2020

Targeting overactive immune cells with experimental drug could improve TBI symptoms

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that targeting overactive immune cells in the brain with an experimental drug could limit brain cell loss and reverse cognitive and motor difficulties caused by traumatic brain injury.

25 Feb 2020

New drug offers hope for preserving brain cells for a time after stroke

After 50 years of research and the testing of over 1,000 drugs, there is new hope for preserving brain cells for a time after stroke.

21 Feb 2020

Accumulated brain protein affects genes in Alzheimer's disease

A new study published in February 2020 in the journal Cell Reports shows how the build-up of specific brain cell proteins are linked to altered gene expression that causes the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

11 Feb 2020

Researchers culture human blood-brain barrier on a chip

A scrupulous gatekeeper stands between the brain and its circulatory system to let in the good and keep out the bad, but this porter, called the blood-brain barrier, also blocks trial drugs to treat diseases like Alzheimer's or cancer from getting into the brain.

10 Feb 2020