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NUS scientists open possible new route for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

A recent study led by scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) opens a possible new route for treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a devastating disease that is the most common genetic cause of infant death and also affects young adults.

18 Dec 2013

Brain's primary cortex generates efficiently compressed sensory information

Ten million bits - that's the information volume transmitted every second with every quick eye movement from the eye to the cerebrum. Researchers from the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum (RUB) and the University of Osnabr-ck describe the way those data are processed by the primary visual cortex, the entry point for the visual information into the brain, in the journal "Cerebral Cortex".

18 Dec 2013

Studies suggest that stress-related disorders may be associated with hippocampal volume loss

Depression has been associated with reduced volume of the hippocampus in magnetic resonance imaging studies in humans. A new study just published in Biological Psychiatry now clarifies the cellular basis of these volumetric changes, which have been unclear until now.

18 Dec 2013

Measuring changes in certain proteins may better predict the progression of ALS

Measuring changes in certain proteins -- called biomarkers -- in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may better predict the progression of the disease, according to scientists at Penn State College of Medicine.

17 Dec 2013

Diabetes blamed for brain neurochemical abnormalities in bipolar disorder

Diabetes may underlie some of the neurochemical abnormalities observed in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder, say researchers.

17 Dec 2013

New comprehensive edition for neurologists provides invaluable source of reference

A new comprehensive edition of a standard work, detailing and illustrating the organization, structure, function and connectivity of all individual brainstem nuclei. For neuroscientists and neurologists this atlas provides an invaluable and complete source of reference for both their scientific research and everyday clinical practice.

17 Dec 2013

Research findings point to possible new strategy for treating ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of muscle strength and eventually causes a lethal, full-body paralysis. The only drug available to treat the disease extends life spans by a meager three months on average.

17 Dec 2013

U-M researchers report novel approach for treating tinnitus in humans

For tens of millions of Americans, there's no such thing as the sound of silence. Instead, even in a quiet room, they hear a constant ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming or other noise in their ears that isn't real. Called tinnitus, it can be debilitating and life-altering.

17 Dec 2013

Drug abuse appears to foster brain changes that resemble schizophrenia

Teens who were heavy marijuana users -- smoking it daily for about three years -- had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine- study.

16 Dec 2013

Researchers gain better understanding of neurochemical basis of addiction with optogenetics

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers are gaining a better understanding of the neurochemical basis of addiction with a new technology called optogenetics.

16 Dec 2013

Study: Brain blood vessel cells may be therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease

A study in mice shows how a breakdown of the brain's blood vessels may amplify or cause problems associated with Alzheimer's disease. The results published in Nature Communications suggest that blood vessel cells called pericytes may provide novel targets for treatments and diagnoses.

14 Dec 2013

Repeated blows to head in contact sports may cause changes in brain's white matter

Repeated blows to the head during a season of contact sports may cause changes in the brain's white matter and affect cognitive abilities even if none of the impacts resulted in a concussion, according to a study published today in the journal Neurology.

13 Dec 2013

Research findings could provide better understanding of anxiety disorders

In a new study published today in Science, John McGann, associate professor of behavioral and systems neuroscience in the Department of Psychology, and his colleagues, report that neurons in the noses of laboratory animals reacted more strongly to threatening odors before the odor message was sent to the brain.

13 Dec 2013

Dietary amino acids improve sleep disturbances caused by brain injuries in animals

Scientists who fed a cocktail of key amino acids to mice improved sleep disturbances caused by brain injuries in the animals. These new findings suggest a potential dietary treatment for millions of people affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI)—a condition that is currently untreatable.

12 Dec 2013

Biosimulation and epilepsy treatments: an interview with Dr. Serge Bischoff, CEO of Rhenovia and RHENEPI program director

The need for biosimulation is primarily to do with the very high attrition rate in drug development and especially in the development of drugs for the central nervous system.

10 Dec 2013

New computational model explains how brain maintains balance between plasticity, stability

To learn new motor skills, the brain must be plastic: able to rapidly change the strengths of connections between neurons, forming new patterns that accomplish a particular task. However, if the brain were too plastic, previously learned skills would be lost too easily.

9 Dec 2013

TAU researchers discover gene that may predict human responses to specific antidepressants

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, but they don't work for everyone. What's more, patients must often try several different SSRI medications, each with a different set of side effects, before finding one that is effective.

9 Dec 2013

UCI MIND researchers receive grant to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines

Researchers at UC Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders have received a two-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines.

9 Dec 2013

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

The body is structured to ensure that any invading organisms have a tough time reaching the brain, an organ obviously critical to survival. Known as the blood-brain barrier, cells that line the brain and spinal cord are tightly packed, making it difficult for anything besides very small molecules to cross from the bloodstream into the central nervous system. While beneficial, this blockade also stands in the way of delivering drugs intended to treat neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's.

9 Dec 2013

Prolonged febrile seizures can affect pediatric patients

A long-standing hypothesis holds that prolonged febrile (fever induced) seizures, the most common form of childhood convulsive status epilepticus, cause mesial temporal sclerosis. CSE is a single seizure, or two or more seizures between which consciousness is not regained, lasting for more than 30 minutes.

9 Dec 2013

Neurons News and Research

NUS scientists open possible new route for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Brain's primary cortex generates efficiently compressed sensory information

Studies suggest that stress-related disorders may be associated with hippocampal volume loss

Measuring changes in certain proteins may better predict the progression of ALS

Diabetes blamed for brain neurochemical abnormalities in bipolar disorder

New comprehensive edition for neurologists provides invaluable source of reference

Research findings point to possible new strategy for treating ALS

U-M researchers report novel approach for treating tinnitus in humans

Drug abuse appears to foster brain changes that resemble schizophrenia

Researchers gain better understanding of neurochemical basis of addiction with optogenetics

Study: Brain blood vessel cells may be therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease

Repeated blows to head in contact sports may cause changes in brain's white matter

Research findings could provide better understanding of anxiety disorders

Dietary amino acids improve sleep disturbances caused by brain injuries in animals

Biosimulation and epilepsy treatments: an interview with Dr. Serge Bischoff, CEO of Rhenovia and RHENEPI program director

New computational model explains how brain maintains balance between plasticity, stability

TAU researchers discover gene that may predict human responses to specific antidepressants

UCI MIND researchers receive grant to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

Prolonged febrile seizures can affect pediatric patients

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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