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Surprising immune system cells discovery

Immune system cells are connected to each other by an extensive network of tiny tunnels that, like a building's hidden pneumatic tube system, are used to shoot signals to distant cells.

26 Sep 2005

Neurologix announces positive interim results of gene therapy clinical trial for patients with Parkinson's disease

Neurologix has announced positive interim results of its landmark gene therapy clinical trial for patients with Parkinson's disease. Neurologix's 12-patient, dose-escalating Phase I trial is the world's first study to use a viral vector (the non-pathogenic adeno-associated virus, or AAV) for the treatment of an adult neurological disease.

26 Sep 2005

New information about how the brain directs the body to make movements

A University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) study has revealed new information about how the brain directs the body to make movements. The key factor is "noise" in the brain's signaling, and it helps explain why all movement is not carried out with the same level of precision.

26 Sep 2005

Adult human neural stem cells used to successfully regenerate spinal cord tissue

Researchers at the UC Irvine Reeve-Irvine Research Center have used adult human neural stem cells to successfully regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue and improve mobility in mice.

26 Sep 2005

Key neural system at risk from prenatal exposure to alcohol

In a study of adult monkeys who were exposed to moderate amounts of alcohol in utero, scientists have found that prenatal exposure to alcohol - even in small doses - has pronounced effects on the development and function later in life of the brain's dopamine system, a critical component of the central nervous system that regulates many regions of the brain.

21 Sep 2005

Phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of brain

Yale researchers report the first evidence that phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of the brain that can be suppressed with specially designed molecular agents.

20 Sep 2005

First large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers in collaboration with scientists at Perlegen Sciences, Inc. and funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research have produced the first large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease.

19 Sep 2005

Researchers selectively knock out memory associations connected with receiving cocaine

Addicts crave drugs and suffer relapse not just because of the alluring high of drugs, but also because they are compelled by the powerful, haunting memory associations with the environment surrounding their drug taking. Thus, treatments that could eliminate those memory associations could prove effective in treating addiction, researchers believe.

19 Sep 2005

Finding may significantly broaden understanding of how the brain selects and retains information

By examining how sounds are registered during the process of learning, UC Irvine neurobiologists have discovered a neural coding mechanism that the brain relies upon to register the intensity of memories based on the importance of the experience.

12 Sep 2005

Microtubules critical to development of mental disorders

Neuroscientists at the University at Buffalo have shown in two recently published papers that destabilization of structures called microtubules, intracellular highways that transport receptors to their working sites in the brain, likely underlie many mental disorders and could be promising targets for intervention.

12 Sep 2005

Translation elongation factor eEF1A2 is is a potential oncogene that is overexpressed in two-thirds of breast tumors

The tissue-specific elongation factor eEF1A2 might be an oncoprotein involved in breast cancer.

12 Sep 2005

Clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease

Clioquinol, an antibiotic that was banned for internal use in the United States in 1971 but is still used in topical applications, appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease in mice and in cell culture, according to a study reported by San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers.

12 Sep 2005

Sugar-coated markers of brain cell development may help success of stem cell transplants

Four sugar-coated faces made by stem cells as they differentiate into brain cells during development have been identified by scientists.

10 Sep 2005

Researchers discover discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch, the relative high and low points of sound, by recognizing a single musical note played by different instruments.

7 Sep 2005

Animal model of Parkinson's disease reveals striking sensitivity to common environmental toxins

In findings that support a relationship between agricultural chemicals and Parkinson's disease, two groups of researchers have found new evidence that loss of DJ-1, a gene known to be linked to inherited Parkinson's disease, leads to striking sensitivity to the herbicide paraquat and the insecticide rotenone.

7 Sep 2005

New key evidence supports claims that some types of cancer originate with defects in stem cells

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the Institute of Biomedical Research of the Parc Científic de Barcelona (IRB-PCB) have now added key evidence to claims that some types of cancer originate with defects in stem cells.

4 Sep 2005

Release of the neurotransmitter GABA halts stem cell production in the brain

Release of the neurotransmitter GABA by adult neuronal precursor cells that develop into neurons limits stem cell proliferation, according to a study at Yale School of Medicine in the September issue of Nature Neuroscience.

1 Sep 2005

Molecular switch that turns on the production of myelin

Scientists at New York University School of Medicine report in a new study that they have identified the molecular switch that turns on the production of myelin, the fatty insulation around nerve cells that ensures swift and efficient communication in the nervous system.

1 Sep 2005

Study points to link to neurodegenerative disease target

A University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) study has found that a specific signaling link between neurons and muscles in the fruit fly is essential for keeping the insect's nervous system stable.

1 Sep 2005

Been there, done that!

One of the neural oddities of "declarative" memory--the recall of past things and events--is that some experiments have shown that recognizing a familiar object is accompanied by a reduction in activity of the brain's memory centers in the medial temporal lobe. Such a reduction seems counterintuitive, since remembering seems to be a positive event.

1 Sep 2005

Neuron News and Research

Surprising immune system cells discovery

Neurologix announces positive interim results of gene therapy clinical trial for patients with Parkinson's disease

New information about how the brain directs the body to make movements

Adult human neural stem cells used to successfully regenerate spinal cord tissue

Key neural system at risk from prenatal exposure to alcohol

Phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of brain

First large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease

Researchers selectively knock out memory associations connected with receiving cocaine

Finding may significantly broaden understanding of how the brain selects and retains information

Microtubules critical to development of mental disorders

Translation elongation factor eEF1A2 is is a potential oncogene that is overexpressed in two-thirds of breast tumors

Clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease

Sugar-coated markers of brain cell development may help success of stem cell transplants

Researchers discover discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch

Animal model of Parkinson's disease reveals striking sensitivity to common environmental toxins

New key evidence supports claims that some types of cancer originate with defects in stem cells

Release of the neurotransmitter GABA halts stem cell production in the brain

Molecular switch that turns on the production of myelin

Study points to link to neurodegenerative disease target

Been there, done that!

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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