Neuron News and Research

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Repressive protein plays unexpected role in odor adaptation

New research provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms that allow experience to influence behavior.

15 Jan 2009

Researchers study asymmetry in the brain

A tug-of-war between the two sides of the brain causes it to become asymmetrical, according to research published today in the journal Neuron.

15 Jan 2009

New research reveals brain activity that underlies our tendency to "follow the crowd"

The study, published by Cell Press in the January 15th issue of the journal Neuron, provides intriguing insight into how human behavior can be guided by the perceived behavior of other individuals.

15 Jan 2009

Time of day influences response to chemotherapy

For years, research has hinted that the time of day that cancer patients receive chemotherapy can impact their chances of survival.

14 Jan 2009

Scientists uncover key developmental mechanisms of the amygdala

For the first time, scientists at Children's National Medical Center have successfully identified a key developmental program for the amygdala-the part of the limbic system that impacts how the brain creates emotional memories and responses.

13 Jan 2009

Discovery of mechanism that may explain Parkinson's and other neurological disorders

Studying just eight families worldwide, the international team of researchers have discovered a genetic defect that results in profound depression and parkinsonism in a disorder known as Perry syndrome.

12 Jan 2009

Missing DNA the culprit in epilepsy?

An international team of scientists have identified a genetic risk factor for epilepsy which may lead to a better understanding of what causes the seizures and the development of new treatments for the condition.

12 Jan 2009

Discovery of new molecule in blood-pressure control system

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have discovered that the nerve cells controlling heart rate and blood pressure synthesize a molecule known to be critically important for proper nervous system growth.

8 Jan 2009

Growth of new brain cells requires 'epigenetic' switch

New cells are born every day in the brain's hippocampus, but what controls this birth has remained a mystery.

8 Jan 2009

Discovery of target that could ease spinal muscular atrophy symptoms

There is no cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that causes the weakening of muscles and is the leading genetic cause of infant death, but University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target that improves deteriorating skeletal muscle tissue caused by SMA.

7 Jan 2009

New hope for leptin as a solution to obesity

The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity.

6 Jan 2009

Stem cells from human testes can change into other body tissues

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes.

5 Jan 2009

Collagen VI protects brain cells against amyloid-beta proteins

Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD).

5 Jan 2009

A novel glioblastoma mouse model developed

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a versatile mouse model of glioblastoma-the most common and deadly brain cancer in humans-that closely resembles the development and progression of human brain tumors that arise naturally.

5 Jan 2009

Risk takers do so because their brains are less able to process dopamine

According to scientists risk takers and drug abusers behave the way they do because their brains are less able to process dopamine.

30 Dec 2008

Matrix fragments trigger fatal excitement

Shredded extracellular matrix (ECM) is toxic to neurons. Chen et al. reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study will appear in the December 29, 2008 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

30 Dec 2008

Patient-derived induced stem cells retain disease traits

The dying cells - the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy - confirmed that the University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.

22 Dec 2008

Carbon nanotubes show promise in emerging field of neuro-engineering and neuroprosthetics

Research done by scientists in Italy and Switzerland has shown that carbon nanotubes may be the ideal "smart" brain material.

22 Dec 2008

How mirror neurons allow us to learn and socialize by going through the motions in the head

The old adage that we can only learn how to do something by trying it ourselves may have to be revised in the light of recent discoveries in neuroscience.

21 Dec 2008

Study looks at brain and movement planning

When you first notice a door handle, your brain has already been hard at work. Your visual system first sees the handle, then it sends information to various parts of the brain, which go on to decipher out the details, such as color and the direction the handle is pointing. As the information about an object is sent further along the various brain pathways, more and more details are noticed-in that way, a simple door handle turns into a silver-plated-antique-style-door-handle-facing-right.

18 Dec 2008