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Discovery of gene region that may account for as many as 15 percent of autism cases

A research team has connected more of the intricate pieces of the autism puzzle, with two studies that identify genes with important contributions to the disorder.

30 Apr 2009

New idea for Parkinson's treatment

In a study that reveals the clearest picture to date of neuron death in Parkinson's disease, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found that a trio of culprits acting in concert is responsible for killing the brain cells.

29 Apr 2009

Glutamate identified as predictor of disease progression in multiple sclerosis

UCSF researchers have identified a correlation between higher levels of glutamate, which occurs naturally in the brain as a byproduct of metabolism, and greater disease burden in multiple sclerosis patients.

29 Apr 2009

New insight into brain mechanisms associated with reading

A new study provides direct experimental evidence that a brain region important for reading and word recognition contains neurons that are highly selective for individual real words.

29 Apr 2009

Brain processes written words as unique 'objects,' GUMC neuroscientists say

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have found that an area known to be important for reading in the left visual cortex contains neurons that are specialized to process written words as whole word units.

29 Apr 2009

A glimpse at vision: First impressions count

Human beings far outpace computers in their ability to recognize faces and other objects, handling with ease variations in size, color, orientation, lighting conditions and other factors.

29 Apr 2009

Scientists learn to induce gamma oscillations in the brain

Scientists have studied high-frequency brain waves, known as gamma oscillations, for more than 50 years, believing them crucial to consciousness, attention, learning and memory.

26 Apr 2009

Brain works best when cells keep right rhythms

It is said that each of us marches to the beat of a different drum, but new Stanford University research suggests that brain cells need to follow specific rhythms that must be kept for proper brain functioning.

26 Apr 2009

Breakthrough in generating safer, therapeutic stem cells from adult cells

The new technique solves one of the most challenging safety hurdles associated with personalized stem cell-based medicine because for the first time it enables scientists to make stem cells in the laboratory from adult cells without genetically altering them.

23 Apr 2009

Organic biosensor detects onset of acute myocardial ischemia

Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have fabricated and tested a unique biosensor that measures concentrations of potassium and hydrogen ions in the human heart with high specificity.

22 Apr 2009

Binge drinking may be detrimental to the developing adolescent brain

A study of adolescent binge drinkers has found that even relatively infrequent exposure to large amounts of alcohol during the teen years may compromise the integrity of the brain's white matter, which is critical for the efficient relay of information within the brain.

22 Apr 2009

Researchers study why people who are obese become hypertensive

When Francois Abboud began his work at the University of Iowa in 1960, little was known about the constant physiological chatter between the brain and the blood vessels.

22 Apr 2009

Poor sleep disturbs neuroendocrine control of appetite

Laboratory and epidemiological studies continue to show that sleep curtailment and/or decreased sleep quality can disturb neuroendocrine control of appetite, leading to overeating, and can decrease insulin and/or increase insulin resistance, both steps on the road to Type 2 diabetes.

22 Apr 2009

How do the proteins know where to go?

Proteins go everywhere in the cell and do all sorts of work, but a fundamental question has eluded biologists.

22 Apr 2009

New insights into protein p75's role Alzheimer's disease

New research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies casts the role of a neuronal growth factor receptor - long suspected to facilitate the toxic effects of beta amyloid in Alzheimer's disease - in a new light, suggesting the molecule actually protects the neuron in the periphery from beta amyloid-induced damage.

21 Apr 2009