Brain Cell News and Research

RSS

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

Microrna-29 molecule controls brain maturation in mammals

A team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine identified a molecule called microRNA-29 as a powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals. Deleting microRNA-29 in mice caused problems very similar to those seen in autism, epilepsy, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

8 Apr 2021

Finding ways to reverse a genetic cause of poor stress responses in mice

Everyone faces stress occasionally, whether in school, at work, or during a global pandemic. However, some cannot cope as well as others.

7 Apr 2021

UNC scientists identify a molecule as powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals

7 Apr 2021

Mimicking stress signals can protect the brain and retina from aging

How do different parts of the body communicate? Scientists at St. Jude are studying how signals sent from skeletal muscle affect the brain.

27 Mar 2021

Researchers are working to speed up drug development to treat brain diseases

Though 40 million concussions are recorded annually, no effective treatment exists for them or for many other brain-related illnesses.

23 Mar 2021

Star-shaped brain cells impact the length and depth of sleep in mice

For something we spend one-third of our lives doing, we still understand remarkably little about how sleep works -- for example, why can some people sleep deeply through any disturbance, while others regularly toss and turn for hours each night? And why do we all seem to need a different amount of sleep to feel rested?

22 Mar 2021

New research project aims to treat patients with secondary brain damage

The Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge have launched a new research project aimed at discovering if selective P2X7 receptor blocker drugs can be repurposed to treat patients with secondary brain damage.

9 Mar 2021

Inhibition of complement disrupts neurodegeneration, improves cognitive function in TBI patients

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and a risk factor for early-onset dementia. The injury is characterized by a physical insult followed acutely by complement driven neuroinflammation.

9 Mar 2021

Study shows how mutant huntingtin protein triggers brain cell death

In 1993, scientists discovered that a single mutated gene, HTT, caused Huntington's disease, raising high hopes for a quick cure. Yet today, there's still no approved treatment.

7 Mar 2021

Scientists seek to enhance artificial intelligence by integrating brain cells

With a new grant from the U.S. Army, a team of scientists will seek to enhance artificial intelligence by integrating brain cells called astrocytes.

5 Mar 2021

Well-known spasmolytic drug can suppress inflammatory response in astrocytes

Biologists from RUDN University confirmed that a well-known spasmolytic drug called hymecromone can suppress the inflammatory response in astrocytes, important glial cells of the central nervous system.

26 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does not infect the entire body in the same way, finds study

COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is primarily regarded as a respiratory infection. Yet the virus has also become known for affecting other parts of the body in ways not as well understood, sometimes with longer-term consequences, such as heart arrhythmia, fatigue and "brain fog."

24 Feb 2021

UC San Diego researchers launch clinical trial to test gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

18 Feb 2021

Study unravels function of 'mystery protein' that kills brain cells of people with Parkinson's

A study published in Nature Communications today (Wednesday 10 February) presents compelling new evidence about what a key protein called alpha-synuclein actually does in neurons in the brain.

10 Feb 2021

Study: Brain hormones could improve metabolism and fight obesity

A mitochondrial hormone expressed by cells deep in the brain appears to play a role in improving metabolism and fighting off obesity, according to a new study in mice.

3 Feb 2021

New method can help identify potential anti-cancer drugs at a high pace

The enzymes in human cells known as histone deacetylases, or HDACs, are targets for a handful of anticancer drugs because of their ability to affect gene expression.

25 Jan 2021

Study reveals specific neuronal circuits underlying environment-based value learning

How valuable are earmuffs? The answer to this simple question can depend. What brand are they? Are they good quality? What is the weather like? Given the choice between earmuffs and suntan lotion, most people would choose to have the earmuffs on a cold winter day and the lotion on a sunny day at the beach.

22 Jan 2021

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect brain cells?

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco, Gladstone Institutes in the USA, and The Aga Khan University in Pakistan investigated if human neural cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2.

20 Jan 2021