Neurons News and Research

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New approach for understanding auditory localization in patients with hearing aids under background noise

Patients with implanted artificial cochlea often complain that they cannot recognize speech well in natural environments, especially if background of noise is present.

6 Aug 2014

New techniques offer insight into cell-by-cell makeup of organisms

In general, our knowledge of biology-and much of science in general-is limited by our ability to actually see things. Researchers who study developmental problems and disease, in particular, are often limited by their inability to look inside an organism to figure out exactly what went wrong and when.

6 Aug 2014

Researchers study effect of alcohol on neural activity using fruit flies

Seeking eventual solutions to problems ranging from alcoholism, cancer and Alzheimer's to finding better ways to clean contact lenses and use Lego models to build bridges, University of Houston (UH) students devoted the summer to some serious scholarship.

5 Aug 2014

Researchers at NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology achieve breakthrough biological results

FEI is pleased to announce that researchers at the NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology have achieved breakthrough biological results, using FEI’s Titan Krios™ transmission electron microscope (TEM), to elucidate the structural mechanism by which glutamate receptors participate in the transmission of signals between neurons in the brain. Their work is described in Nature, “Structural Mechanism of Glutamate Receptor Activation and Desensitization,” by Meyerson, et al., (DOI: 10.1038/nature13603), http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13603.html .

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions 4 Aug 2014

Findings shed light on why PPARγ activators have side effect of promoting weight gain

The brain plays a central role in regulating appetite and whole-body metabolism. A protein known as PPARγ is important in the brain's control of food intake and body weight, but the identity of the neurons regulating this process has been unclear.

4 Aug 2014

Study shows that mice can identify specific odors amid complex olfactory environments

For many animals, making sense of the clutter of sensory stimuli is often a matter or literal life or death. Exactly how animals separate objects of interest, such as food sources or the scent of predators, from background information, however, remains largely unknown.

4 Aug 2014

Researchers uncover 3D structure of neuroreceptor

Neurons are the cells of our brain, spinal cord, and overall nervous system. They form complex networks to communicate with each other through electrical signals that are carried by chemicals.

4 Aug 2014

Study: Spicy capsaicin can reduce risk of colorectal tumors

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers - produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.

3 Aug 2014

Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech

Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech, potentially increasing the difficulty in distinguishing speech sounds, according to neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Dallas.

1 Aug 2014

Scientists study how artificial light influences biological clock

Researchers at Inserm, led by Claude Gronfier (Inserm Unit 846: Stem Cell and Brain Institute), have, for the first time, conducted a study under real conditions on the body clocks of members of the international polar research station Concordia.

31 Jul 2014

Anti-cholinergic drugs could be responsible for decline in cognitive, physical function in elderly patients

Drugs widely prescribed to the elderly could be responsible for a decline in cognitive and physical function according to research from the University of East Anglia and the Regenstrief Institute.

31 Jul 2014

Obesity mutation MC4R can significantly contribute to weight gain at early age

People who have the most common genetic mutation linked to obesity respond differently to pictures of appetizing foods than overweight or obese people who do not have the genetic mutation, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

31 Jul 2014

Little-known supportive cells in brain may play major role in cognitive function

When you're expecting something-like the meal you've ordered at a restaurant-or when something captures your interest, unique electrical rhythms sweep through your brain.

29 Jul 2014

Neuroscientists analyze imaging data using new technologies

In an age of "big data," a single computer cannot always find the solution a user wants. Computational tasks must instead be distributed across a cluster of computers that analyze a massive data set together.

27 Jul 2014

Neuroscientists shed new light on how the brain works

Neuroscientists in Bonn and Heidelberg have succeeded in providing new insights into how the brain works. Researchers at the DZNE and the German Cancer Research Center analyzed tissue samples from mice to identify how two specific proteins, ‘CKAMP44’ and ‘TARP Gamma-8’, act upon the brain’s memory center.

26 Jul 2014

Xbp1s protein plays key role in brain regions to regulate metabolism

A protein that controls when genes are switched on or off plays a key role in specific areas of the brain to regulate metabolism, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

26 Jul 2014

GW researcher awarded SFARI grant for autism research

The link between autism and disrupted brain development is an essential part of the puzzle of the disease, and is largely unknown. However, thanks to funding from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, George Washington University researcher Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Ph.D. may be able to offer truly integrative and in-depth answers to these key questions in the field of autism research.

26 Jul 2014

Discovery could lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes, obesity

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified neural pathways that increase understanding of how the brain regulates body weight, energy expenditure, and blood glucose levels - a discovery that can lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

26 Jul 2014

XPro1595 drug can protect vulnerable neurons, reduce motor deficits in Parkinson's model

An experimental anti-inflammatory drug can protect vulnerable neurons and reduce motor deficits in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.

26 Jul 2014

BU researchers find possible way to prevent Alzheimer's disease

Boston University School of Medicine researchers may have found a way to delay or even prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD). They discovered that pre-treatment of neurons with the anti-aging protein Klotho can prevent neuron death in the presence of the toxic amyloid protein and glutamate.

25 Jul 2014