Motor Neurons News and Research

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Researchers identify the trigger of key cellular change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL have identified the trigger of a key cellular change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a type of motor neurons disease.

4 Mar 2021

Neuroinvasiveness of SARS-CoV-2 shown by viral RNA and inflammation in the brain

A new study describes the results of a macaque study that showed the development of neurological features of inflammation, following infection by SARS-CoV-2.

25 Feb 2021

Scientists identify new compound that reverses ALS neuron damage

Northwestern University scientists have identified the first compound that eliminates the ongoing degeneration of upper motor neurons that become diseased and are a key contributor to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a swift and fatal neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes its victims.

23 Feb 2021

Researchers measure baseline activity of single neurons

Our brains are complicated webs of billions of neurons, constantly transmitting information across synapses, and this communication underlies our every thought and movement.

18 Feb 2021

£1.6 million grant awarded to advance development of MND drug candidate

Researchers from the University of Sheffield's Institute for Translational Neuroscience have been awarded a £1.6 million grant from the Medical Research Council.

26 Jan 2021

After a decade of lobbying, ALS patients gain faster access to disability payments

Anita Baron first noticed something was wrong in August 2018, when she began to drool. Her dentist chalked it up to a problem with her jaw.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers identify link between ALS and accumulation of DNA-RNA hybrids in the genome

Researchers from the University of Seville and the University of Pavia have identified a link between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and the accumulation of DNA-RNA hybrids in the genome.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers develop improved process for large-scale electron microscopy to visualize small structures

How are networks of neurons connected to make functional circuits? This has been a long-standing question in neuroscience. To answer this fundamental question, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School developed a new way to study these circuits and in the process learn more about the connections between them.

12 Jan 2021

New approach to tame botulinum toxin for drug delivery

While rare, botulism can cause paralysis and is potentially fatal. It is caused by nerve-damaging toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum -- the most potent toxins known.

8 Jan 2021

A map of brainstem circuitry reveals which neurons control fine motor skills

Writing, driving a screw or throwing darts are only some of the activities that demand a high level of skill.

6 Jan 2021

Study sheds new light on reflexive behaviors

When you touch a hot stove, your hand reflexively pulls away; if you miss a rung on a ladder, you instinctively catch yourself.

10 Dec 2020

Antiepileptic drug reduces early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with ALS

The antiepileptic drug ezogabine reduced pathologic excitability of cortical and spinal motor neuron cells that are early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study conducted by the Neurological Clinical Research Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital.

10 Dec 2020

Researchers describe cellular mediator that makes muscle adaptation to exercise possible

The onset of any physical exercise program causes muscle pain that can hinder movements as simple as getting up from a sofa. With time and a little persistence, the muscles become accustomed to the effort, developing more strength and endurance.

1 Dec 2020

New drug lures stem cells to damaged tissue, improves treatment efficacy

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy--a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine.

25 Nov 2020

Experimental ALS drug shows potential to prolong patient survival

An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival.

16 Oct 2020

New discovery of an interaction between sensory neurons and immune cells

Pain is a protective mechanism, alerting us to danger by generating an unpleasant sensation. The warning message is carried to the spinal cord by specialized sensory neurons, which are intertwined with other sensory and motor neurons in peripheral nerves.

21 Sep 2020

Study implicates new gene as driver of motor neuron diseases

Failures in a quality control system that protects protein-building fidelity in cells can lead to motor neuron degeneration and related diseases, according to a new study from an international team co-directed by Scripps Research molecular biologist Claudio Joazeiro, PhD.

16 Sep 2020

New x-ray microscopy technique could help accelerate efforts to map neural circuits

One of the grand quests in neuroscience is to build a precise map of the brain, charting all its neurons and the connections between them. Such a wiring diagram, called a connectome, promises to help shed light on how a collection of cells can together give rise to thoughts, memories, behaviors and myriad other functions.

14 Sep 2020

Investigational drug may reduce protein buildup and neurological decline linked to ALS, FTD

An investigational drug that targets an instigator of the TDP-43 protein, a well-known hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), may reduce the protein's buildup and neurological decline associated with these disorders, suggests a pre-clinical study from researchers at Penn Medicine and Mayo Clinic.

8 Sep 2020

Misfiring brain cells may create swallowing difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Misfiring brain cells that control key parts of the mouth and tongue may be creating swallowing difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, according to neuroscientists with Virginia Tech and George Washington University.

2 Sep 2020