Motor Neurons News and Research

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Neuroscientists identify circuit for brain's statistical inference about motion

As the eye tracks a bird flying past, the muscles that pan the eyeballs to keep the target in focus set their pace not only on the speed they see, but also on a reasonable estimate of the speed they expect from having watched birds before.

18 Sep 2018

Study links spinal muscular atrophy disease expression with haplotypes

A natural history study has provided the first comprehensive clinical description of spinal muscular atrophy within the Amish and Mennonite communities and correlates ancestral chromosome 5 haplotypes and SMN2 copy number with disease severity.

7 Sep 2018

SMA treatment may be effective even if started in children seven months and older

A drug shown to be effective in the treatment of babies with the rare muscle-wasting disease spinal muscular atrophy may be effective for muscle control even when treatment is started in children seven months and older, according to a study published in the August 29, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies focused on children younger than seven months old.

30 Aug 2018

Studies on fruit flies reveal new findings of how neurons in the brain function

Studies of the song of the fruit flies reveal new findings of how the neurons in the brain function. These results can be used to uncover new knowledge on how brains in general function which in the longer term may have medical significance.

25 Aug 2018

Alternative method identified for delivering nusinersen to spinal muscular atrophy patients

A new report has identified an alternative method to deliver nusinersen to patients with spinal muscular atrophy using a subcutaneous intrathecal catheter system configured by connecting an intrathecal catheter to an implantable infusion port.

24 Aug 2018

Drug used to treat amoebic dysentery may block journey of rabies virus in nerves

To successfully infect its host, the rabies virus must move from the nerve ending to the nerve cell body where it can replicate.

24 Aug 2018

Study provides new clues to connection between aging and neurodegeneration

For decades researchers have worked to shed light on the causes of neurodegenerative disorders, a group of devastating conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, that involve the progressive loss of neurons and nervous system function. In recent years, numerous factors, from genetic mutations to viral infections, have been found to contribute to the development of these diseases.

23 Aug 2018

Single neuron in fruit fly triggers new behavior and also suppresses antagonistic behavior

In the fruit fly, a single pair of brain neurons command backward locomotion in both larvae and adults, researchers report.

23 Aug 2018

Study shows that rogue proteins may underlie some ALS and frontotemporal dementia cases

ALS -- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, slowly robbing its victims of their ability to walk, talk, breathe and swallow.

20 Aug 2018

Study: HDAC1 enzyme modifies molecular motor that drives neuron death

A biochemistry instructor curious about an enzyme discovered in the damaged neurons of people with multiple sclerosis made a leap toward a potential cure for countless neurodegenerative ills.

7 Aug 2018

Newer version of ALS drug may effectively treat inherited form of the disease

NIH-funded researchers delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in rodents by injecting them with a second-generation drug designed to silence the gene, superoxide dismutase 1.

27 Jul 2018

Study findings highlight importance of early detection of SMA through newborn screening

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disease that affects motor neurons in the spinal cord, resulting in muscle atrophy and widespread weakness that eventually impair swallowing and breathing.

17 Jul 2018

UC Riverside researcher receives grants to advance cancer, ALS research

Maurizio Pellecchia, who holds the Daniel Hays Chair in Cancer Research at the University of California, Riverside, has received two grants to continue his research aimed at finding therapeutics for cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

21 Jun 2018

Researchers transplant lab-grown neural cells in mice with spinal injuries to improve breathing

Researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin improved respiratory function in rodents with spinal cord injuries after successfully transplanting a special class of neural cells, called V2a interneurons.

7 Jun 2018

Researchers work together to solve mystery of motor neuron death in ALS patients

As the old adage goes, 'two heads are better than one'. With the development of new technologies and increasingly specialist expertise, ground-breaking science needs to be a team effort.

25 May 2018

Study identifies new mechanism involved in development of Lou Gehrig's disease

A new Tel Aviv University study identifies a previously unknown mechanism involved in the development of Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

23 May 2018

Old drug offers new hope for treatment of MND

An international study led by biochemists at the University of Liverpool has shown that the drug-molecule ebselen can correct many of the toxic characteristics of a protein that causes some cases of hereditary motor neurone disease (MND).

17 May 2018

UCLA biologists transfer memory by injecting RNA from one marine snail to another

UCLA biologists report they have transferred a memory from one marine snail to another, creating an artificial memory, by injecting RNA from one to another.

15 May 2018

Large ALS-causing protein aggregates protect rather than harm neurons

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made a significant advance in the understanding of the complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

17 Apr 2018

Deficiency of innate immune adaptor TRIF shortens survival time of ALS mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease damaging motor neurons in brain and spinal cords. ALS patients show progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, leading to a fatal respiratory muscle paralysis. There are no effective therapies for ALS.

16 Apr 2018