Brain Cell News and Research

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An existing drug may function as targeted therapy for ALL in children

A new study from Linköping University has shown that the tumour-inhibiting gene TET2 is silenced in a large fraction of cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children.

25 Aug 2021

Brain memory signals may influence blood sugar levels, rat study finds

A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats.

11 Aug 2021

Restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases linked to TDP-43 protein

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43.

4 Aug 2021

Graduate student receives NIH grant to study specific molecule’s role in healthy neurodevelopment

Raymundo Hernandez was always drawn to psychology - that is, until he took his first neurobiology class as an undergraduate.

20 Jul 2021

Study: Gene editing therapy for early-stage Huntington’s disease may have long-lasting benefits

In a new study on mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that using MRI scans to measure blood volume in the brain can serve as a noninvasive way to potentially track the progress of gene editing therapies for early-stage Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that attacks brain cells.

7 Jul 2021

Research reveals new class of neurons that links face perception to long-term memory

Scientists have long searched in vain for a class of brain cells that could explain the visceral flash of recognition that we feel when we see a very familiar face, like that of our grandmothers.

2 Jul 2021

Turning down glial genes can help mitigate Huntington's disease pathogenesis

The brain is not a passive recipient of injury or disease. Research has shown that when neurons die and disrupt the natural flow of information they maintain with other neurons, the brain compensates by redirecting communications through other neuronal networks.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers report on the role of brain cell membranes' lipids in Alzheimer's progression

Alzheimer's disease is predominant in elderly people, but the way age-related changes to lipid composition affect the regulation of biological processes is still not well understood.

15 Jun 2021

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae. According to research, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients often suffer from neurological disorders like strokes, lost taste or smell, memory loss, confusion, and delirium.

13 Jun 2021

Study offers a deeper understanding of the molecular basis for schizophrenia

A study conducted by a group of Brazilian researchers contributes to a deeper understanding of the molecular basis for schizophrenia, and potentially to the development of more specific and effective treatments for the disease.

8 Jun 2021

Optic nerve activity may trigger the formation of vision-harming tumors in children

In a study of mice, researchers showed how the act of seeing light may trigger the formation of vision-harming tumors in young children who are born with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome.

2 Jun 2021

New study may help develop senolytic drugs that target senescent immune cells

In a study recently published in Nature University of Minnesota Medical School researchers found that senescent immune cells are the most dangerous type of senescent cell.

13 May 2021

Cerebral organoids provide new insight into role of key enzyme in natural brain development

Like many around the world, the lab of Professor Mriganka Sur in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT has embraced the young technology of cerebral organoids, or "minibrains," for studying human brain development in health and disease.

11 May 2021

Preclinical study finds sex differences in neurological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Neurological problems during and after COVID-19 are persistent and frequent. However, research is still ongoing as to why certain people exhibit specific symptoms. Research led by Yi-Ping Hsueh from the Institute of Molecular Biology in Taiwan suggests SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain could be sex-dependent.

10 May 2021

Researchers study sex-specific gene mutation linked to autism

After reviewing a database of gene mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a team of Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) researchers decided to study a specific gene mutation that likely caused ASD in a girl.

6 May 2021

Experimental drug reverses key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed an experimental drug that reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

22 Apr 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Chaperone protein imbalance can play key role in initiating toxic tau buildup in the aging brain

Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain - an early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) neuroscientists suggests.

20 Apr 2021

New study sheds light on complex brain process that helps learn and form new memories

Making memories involves more than seeing friends or taking photos. The brain constantly adapts to new information and stores memories by building connections among neurons, called synapses. How neurons do this--reaching out arm-like dendrites to communicate with other neurons--requires a ballet of genes, signaling molecules, cellular scaffolding and protein-building machinery.

19 Apr 2021

New cell counting method offers a robust protocol for studying animal brains

Using a surprisingly simple technique, researchers in the University of Arizona Department of Neuroscience have succeeded in approximating how many brain cells make up the brains of several species of bees, ants and wasps.

9 Apr 2021