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Experimental drug that targets macrophages decreases cancer's growth

An experimental drug that targets macrophages, a type of immune cells, in the microenvironment surrounding the lethal brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme decreased the cancer's growth and extended survival of laboratory mice with the cancer, scientists will report on Tuesday Dec. 17, at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in New Orleans.

16 Dec 2013

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

A head injury can lead immune-system brain cells to go on "high alert" and overreact to later immune challenges by becoming excessively inflammatory - a condition linked with depressive complications, a new animal study suggests.

10 Dec 2013

UCI MIND researchers receive grant to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines

Researchers at UC Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders have received a two-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have made a discovery that could lead to better treatment for patients suffering from brain cancer.

9 Dec 2013

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings reported in Nature suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

9 Dec 2013

Neuroscientists discover new role played by common but mysterious class of brain cells

Stanford University School of Medicine neuroscientists have discovered a new role played by a common but mysterious class of brain cells.

26 Nov 2013

Identifying 'sensome' of microglia could improve treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have used a new sequencing method to identify a group of genes used by the brain's immune cells - called microglia - to sense pathogenic organisms, toxins or damaged cells that require their response.

15 Nov 2013

International researchers identify 11 new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease

An international group of researchers has identified 11 new genes that offer important new insights into the disease pathways involved in Alzheimer's disease. The highly collaborative effort involved scanning the DNA of over 74,000 volunteers-the largest genetic analysis yet conducted in Alzheimer's research-to discover new genetic risk factors linked to late-onset Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of the disorder.

28 Oct 2013

NIEHS grant renewal opens next chapter in 18-year research effort into brain injury biomarker

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant extension to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to fund research into the function of a biomarker for brain injury called Translocator Protein 18 kDa, better known as TSPO, in order to better understand its function in brain injury and inflammation and discover targets for therapy.

17 Sep 2013

Protein activated by inflammation converts glioblastoma multiforme cells to most aggressive form

A prominent protein activated by inflammation is the key instigator that converts glioblastoma multiforme cells to their most aggressive, untreatable form and promotes resistance to radiation therapy, an international team lead by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported online today in the journal Cancer Cell.

30 Aug 2013

In dynamic mind-body interaction, brain recruits cells from immune system to promote anxiety

New research shows that in a dynamic mind-body interaction during the interpretation of prolonged stress, cells from the immune system are recruited to the brain and promote symptoms of anxiety.

22 Aug 2013

Increased expression of Scara1 protein might impede progression of Alzheimer's disease: Study

Identification of a protein that appears to play an important role in the immune system's removal of amyloid beta (A-beta) protein from the brain could lead to a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease. The report from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been published online in Nature Communications.

2 Jul 2013

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

The same mechanism that lets the immune system mount a massive attack against invading bacteria contributes to the destruction of brain cells as part of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

5 Jun 2013

Scientists spell out pivotal role of Peli1 in mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Scientists have identified an influential link in a chain of events that leads to autoimmune inflammation of the central nervous system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

3 May 2013

Microglia guard nerve cells and play important role in their basic function

Researcher Johan Jakobsson and his colleagues have now published their results in Nature Communications.

25 Apr 2013

Study: p38α MAPK protein functions as important switch to drive inflammatory responses in brain

Even a mild injury to the brain can have long lasting consequences, including increased risk of cognitive impairment later in life. While it is not yet known how brain injury increases risk for dementia, there are indications that chronic, long-lasting, inflammation in the brain may be important.

16 Apr 2013

Study sheds light on role of microglia during progression of Alzheimer's disease

The plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's patients are surrounded by the brain's own immune cells, the microglia. This was already recognized by Alois Alzheimer more than one hundred years ago. But until today it still remains unclear what role microglia play in Alzheimer's disease.

12 Apr 2013

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Cocaine, already a damaging drug for those with healthy immune systems, can be lethal for those living with human immunodeficiency virus. Mudit Tyagi, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has received two federally funded grants to study how dangerous this combination is in HIV patients.

22 Mar 2013

Combination of two environmental factors contributes to schizophrenia

The interplay between an infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia, as behaviourists from ETH Zurich demonstrate in a mouse model. However, there is no need to panic.

2 Mar 2013

Targeting CSF1R with selective inhibitors could help Alzheimer's

Scientists from the University of Southampton have identified the molecular system that contributes to the harmful inflammatory reaction in the brain during neurodegenerative diseases.

22 Feb 2013

Microglia News and Research

Experimental drug that targets macrophages decreases cancer's growth

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

UCI MIND researchers receive grant to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

Neuroscientists discover new role played by common but mysterious class of brain cells

Identifying 'sensome' of microglia could improve treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

International researchers identify 11 new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease

NIEHS grant renewal opens next chapter in 18-year research effort into brain injury biomarker

Protein activated by inflammation converts glioblastoma multiforme cells to most aggressive form

In dynamic mind-body interaction, brain recruits cells from immune system to promote anxiety

Increased expression of Scara1 protein might impede progression of Alzheimer's disease: Study

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

Scientists spell out pivotal role of Peli1 in mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Microglia guard nerve cells and play important role in their basic function

Study: p38α MAPK protein functions as important switch to drive inflammatory responses in brain

Study sheds light on role of microglia during progression of Alzheimer's disease

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Combination of two environmental factors contributes to schizophrenia

Targeting CSF1R with selective inhibitors could help Alzheimer's

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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