Motor Neurons News and Research

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New therapy harnesses "dancing molecules" to reverse paralysis, repair tissue after spinal cord injuries

Northwestern University investigators have developed a new injectable therapy that harnesses "dancing molecules" to reverse paralysis and repair tissue after severe spinal cord injuries.

11 Nov 2021

Identifying an important protein for motor coordination

News-Medical speaks to Professor Jorge Ruas about how he has identified an important protein involved in motor coordination.

10 Nov 2021

Study reveals the role of SPOP protein in an inherited form of ALS

The damaging effects of toxic proteins created in one inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are mediated by a protein called SPOP, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

8 Nov 2021

New data reveals safety, efficacy of nusinersen drug delivery method for SMA patients with advanced disease

A recently published paper details the safety and efficacy of nusinersen administration via a subcutaneous intrathecal catheter system (SIC) for SMA patients with advanced disease.

25 Oct 2021

Yale researchers uncover how the brain takes shape during mid-pregnancy

About four or five months after conception, a burst of synaptic growth begins in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the human fetus.

29 Sep 2021

Soft, low-cost neuroprosthetic hand offers amputees real-time tactile control

For the more than 5 million people in the world who have undergone an upper-limb amputation, prosthetics have come a long way.

16 Aug 2021

'Background noise' in neurotransmission helps keep nerve connections young

Neurons communicate through rapid electrical signals that regulate the release of neurotransmitters, the brain's chemical messengers.

20 Jul 2021

Ohio professor receives NIH grant to study age-related changes in motor neuron excitability

Brian Clark, Ph.D., professor of physiology and neuroscience in Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Biomedical Sciences, received a five-year, nearly $3 million National Institutes of Health grant to conduct a series of animal and human studies to better understand the mechanisms and clinical relevance of age-related changes in motor neuron excitability.

30 Jun 2021

Reduced function of key gene may affect communication between motor neurons and muscles in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks nerve cells known as motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, gradually leading to paralysis.

30 Jun 2021

Cedars-Sinai receives $11.99 million from CIRM to launch ALS clinical trial

Cedars-Sinai has been awarded $11.99 million by California's stem cell agency to launch a clinical trial testing a potential gene and stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

23 Jun 2021

QurAlis gears up for clinical development of therapeutic candidate, QRL-101

(BUSINESS WIRE)--QurAlis Corporation, a biotech company developing breakthrough precision medicines for ALS and other genetically validated neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the publication of an article in Cell Reports.

9 Jun 2021

Researchers gain new insights about ALS development

ALS is a very severe neurodegenerative disease in which nerve cells in the spinal cord controlling muscles and movement slowly die. There is no effective treatment and the average life expectancy after being diagnosed with ALS is usually short. Because of this, new knowledge about the disease is urgently needed.

1 Jun 2021

UTokyo researchers study worms to understand the neuroplasticity of learning

As anyone who has ever procrastinated knows, remembering that you need to do something and acting on that knowledge are two different things. To understand how learning changes nerve cells and leads to different behaviors, researchers studied the much simpler nervous system of worms.

1 Jun 2021

CNIO researchers unravel why motor neurons die in ALS patients

In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the progressive death of neurons that control body movement leads to paralysis of muscles in the limbs and gradually of the whole body, which ultimately makes it impossible to breathe. ALS is currently untreatable, and its cause is unknown.

12 May 2021

Four-part small-molecule cocktail can prevent cellular stress

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain normal stem cell structure and function.

4 May 2021

New miniaturized model of neuromuscular junction formation provides insight into ALS

Skeletal muscles enable voluntary movements and are controlled by a special type of neurons called motor neurons, which make direct contact with skeletal muscles through so-called neuromuscular junctions (NMJs).

22 Apr 2021

Researchers identify nonelectrical cells that transition the brain from plasticity to stability

Researchers exploring the developing central nervous system of fruit flies have identified nonelectrical cells that transition the brain from highly plastic into a less moldable, mature state.

8 Apr 2021

Researchers evaluate new drug for spinal muscular atrophy in a broader spectrum of patients

The rarity of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) means that promising new treatments may be tested in only a limited spectrum of patients before approval. Investigators evaluated a newly approved drug, onasemnogene abeparvovec, in a broader spectrum of patients in order to obtain expanded data on its side effects profile.

6 Apr 2021

Introducing a neuro regenerative gene into mice with spinal cord injury improves motor function

Nagoya University researchers have identified a gene that plays a crucial role in regenerating neurons of African clawed frog tadpoles, which has an unusually high capacity for nerve regeneration.

31 Mar 2021

New discovery may prove vital to future research on medical cannabis

Medical cannabis is a subject of much debate. There is still a lot we do not know about cannabis, but researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences have made a new discovery that may prove vital to future research into and treatment with medical cannabis.

19 Mar 2021