Motor Neurons News and Research

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Study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms behind short-term neuronal plasticity

In a study published in Cell Reports in February 2017, Matt Rowan, Ph.D., a Post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Jason Christie, sought to understand the molecular mechanisms behind a type of short-term neuronal plasticity that may have importance for motor control.

23 Feb 2017

Salk scientists create circuitoids to study rhythmic pattern in neurons

Not everyone is Fred Astaire or Michael Jackson, but even those of us who seem to have two left feet have got rhythm--in our brains.

14 Feb 2017

Emory researchers reveal 'matchmaker' role for protein linked to SMA

A puzzling question has lurked behind SMA, the leading genetic cause of death in infants. The disorder leads to reduced levels of the SMN protein, which is thought to be involved in processing RNA, something that occurs in every cell in the body.

14 Feb 2017

Bacterial by-product helps correct gut microbiome imbalance in mouse model of ALS

A bacterial by-product known to be important in maintaining gut health may slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS - a progressive, neurodegenerative disease.

27 Jan 2017

Researchers uncover how brain circuit elicits hunger responses during starvation

The human body responds to starving conditions, such as famine, to promote the chance of survival. It reduces energy expenditure by stopping heat production and promotes feeding behavior.

27 Jan 2017

Orphan Disease Center establishes new initiative that focuses on ALS

The Orphan Disease Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has established a new Program of Excellence for Motor Neuron Disease.

10 Jan 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers identify new biological target for treating spinal muscular atrophy

Johns Hopkins researchers along with academic and drug industry investigators say they have identified a new biological target for treating spinal muscular atrophy.

9 Jan 2017

Protein involved in neurological disorders can travel from brain to stomach

Researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases have found that "alpha-synuclein", a protein involved in a series of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, is capable of travelling from brain to stomach and that it does so following a specific pathway.

5 Jan 2017

CSHL researcher-inventor hails FDA approval of new SMA drug

Within a week of Christmas day, a drug called nusinersen will be in the hands of doctors across the nation, who will use it, most urgently, to treat young children with a severe and potentially fatal illness called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

26 Dec 2016

FDA approves first drug to treat children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Spinraza (nusinersen), the first drug approved to treat children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare and often fatal genetic disease affecting muscle strength and movement.

23 Dec 2016

Karolinska Institutet researchers find solutions for nerve stimulation

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for producing flexible plastic electrodes capable of releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine upon an electrical trigger.

14 Dec 2016

Research provides new insight into how diseases that disconnect brain and body occur

A huge colony of receptors must be optimally positioned and functioning on our muscle cells for our brains to talk with our bodies so we can walk and breathe.

29 Nov 2016

Research shows FOXP2 protein affects vocal production of all mammals, not just humans

Our current understanding is that mice have either no -- or extremely limited -- neural circuitry and genes similar to those that regulate human speech. According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, this understanding may be incorrect.

15 Nov 2016

Wireless brain–spine interface enables primates with spinal cord injury to walk again

Scientists have developed a wireless brain implant that restores movement in the legs of paralyzed macaques, enabling the animals to walk again.

10 Nov 2016

Collapse of MAM is common pathological hallmark to certain inherited forms of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult onset, fetal neurodegenerative disease that selectively affects motor neurons.

8 Nov 2016

Researchers design small compounds with potential to correct mitochondrial dysfunction

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited disorder that leads to a gradual loss of motor neurons and, eventually, paralysis. The condition is caused by genetic mutations that disrupts cells' energy factories, called mitochondria.

25 Oct 2016

Rare neurological syndromes linked to variations in ATAD3A gene

A team of scientists from a number of institutions around the world, including Baylor College of Medicine, has discovered that rare neurological syndromes for which there was no cause can be the result of variations in the gene ATAD3A.

21 Oct 2016

Cedars-Sinai receives FDA approval to examine safety of combination stem cell-gene therapy in ALS patients

Cedars-Sinai regenerative medicine investigators have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to test a combination stem cell-gene therapy they developed to stall the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease that causes progressive paralysis and ultimately death.

21 Oct 2016

Study shows how damage to RNA-binding protein contributes to ALS

Although only 10 percent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases are hereditary, a significant number of them are caused by mutations that affect proteins that bind RNA, a type of genetic material.

21 Oct 2016

BGU researchers elucidate molecular mechanism that could lead to new therapies for ALS

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have published a new study that describes a novel molecular mechanism that could lead to the development of new therapies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

4 Oct 2016

Motor Neurons News and Research

Study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms behind short-term neuronal plasticity

Salk scientists create circuitoids to study rhythmic pattern in neurons

Emory researchers reveal 'matchmaker' role for protein linked to SMA

Bacterial by-product helps correct gut microbiome imbalance in mouse model of ALS

Researchers uncover how brain circuit elicits hunger responses during starvation

Orphan Disease Center establishes new initiative that focuses on ALS

Johns Hopkins researchers identify new biological target for treating spinal muscular atrophy

Protein involved in neurological disorders can travel from brain to stomach

CSHL researcher-inventor hails FDA approval of new SMA drug

FDA approves first drug to treat children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy

Karolinska Institutet researchers find solutions for nerve stimulation

Research provides new insight into how diseases that disconnect brain and body occur

Research shows FOXP2 protein affects vocal production of all mammals, not just humans

Wireless brain–spine interface enables primates with spinal cord injury to walk again

Collapse of MAM is common pathological hallmark to certain inherited forms of ALS

Researchers design small compounds with potential to correct mitochondrial dysfunction

Rare neurological syndromes linked to variations in ATAD3A gene

Cedars-Sinai receives FDA approval to examine safety of combination stem cell-gene therapy in ALS patients

Study shows how damage to RNA-binding protein contributes to ALS

BGU researchers elucidate molecular mechanism that could lead to new therapies for ALS

Neuroscience - Second Edition eBook

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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