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UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

UCSF scientists have discovered a new stem cell in the developing human brain. The cell produces nerve cells that help form the neocortex - the site of higher cognitive function -- and likely accounts for the dramatic expansion of the region in the lineages that lead to man, the researchers say.

26 May 2010

New approach to prevention and management of Alzheimer's disease

With the aging of nearly 80 million baby boomers, Alzheimer's disease is an impending epidemic that requires a new approach to prevention as well as management of the disease, according to a UC Santa Barbara professor who has co-authored a new book on the topic.

26 May 2010

Thymosin beta 4 reduces brain tissue damage, improves brain function in rats: Research paper

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that in a preclinical research paper published in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery, (online ahead of publication), scientists found that the systemic administration of thymosin beta 4, or Tβ4, significantly reduced brain tissue damage and improved brain function in rats with traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

24 May 2010

Stem cell research could lead to new treatment strategies for motor neuron disease

The Motor Neurone Disease Association is funding its first ever stem cell research programme to help unlock the secrets of this fatal, neurological condition.

24 May 2010

Basque researchers find new Alzheimer's-related mechanism

Researchers from the University of the Basque Country have found a new Alzheimer's-related mechanism that could give rise to the development of new therapies against this disease. The study was recently published in the Cell Calcium journal, and the authors have already applied for a European patent to protect the commercial exploitation of this new discovery.

20 May 2010

Role of neurotransmitter acetylcholine may suggest new treatment for Parkinson's disease: Researchers

Chicago and Montreal researchers studying the lowly lamprey eel have identified an overlooked nervous system pathway running parallel to known brainstem locomotor command circuitry in vertebrates such as birds, fishes and mammals.

20 May 2010

Research team converts astroglia into two main classes of cortical neurons

The research team led by Professor Magdalena Götz of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich reports a major step forward in discovering a therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or stroke. The researchers were able to convert glial cells of the brain into two different functional classes of neurons. The findings are published on May 18th in the renowned journal PLoS Biology.

19 May 2010

Scientists find clues to how our brains work

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found a specific chemical compound secreted by many predators that makes mice behave fearfully. The research helps scientists better understand animal behavior, and may eventually lead to new insights into how sensory information is processed in human brains.

17 May 2010

Blood-flow fMRI to be used to study brain-wide impact of neural circuitry changes

Like a motorist who knows that the "check engine" light indicates something important but ill-defined is happening, neuroscientists have relied heavily on an incompletely understood technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging to show them what the brain is doing when people respond to different stimuli.

17 May 2010

Athersys presents data supporting MultiStem programs

Athersys, Inc. today presented data supporting its MultiStem® programs in cardiovascular disease, neurological disease and immune system modulation, and highlighted advancements in other areas, including progress in its drug development program in the area of obesity.

15 May 2010

Foundation Venture Capital Group makes initial investment of $175,000 to develop test to diagnose AD

As many as 5.3 million Americans, and 35 million people worldwide, are living with Alzheimer's disease, a devastating neurodegenerative illness characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline and widespread destruction of neurons in the brain. Today, there is no definitive diagnosis for the disease, and no treatment to cure it.

15 May 2010

Study shows direct cellular interaction between endocannabinoids and alcohol in the brain

In findings that should finally put to rest a decade of controversy in the field of neurobiology, a team at The Scripps Research Institute has found decisive evidence that a specific neurotransmitter system-the endocannabinoid system-is active in a brain region known to play a key role in the processing of memory, emotional reactions, and addiction formation. The new study also shows that this system can dampen the effects of alcohol, suggesting an avenue for the development of drugs to combat alcohol addiction.

13 May 2010

Fragile X syndrome iPS cells and embryonic stem cells behave differently: Study

In the last three years, a new technique for reprogramming adult cells has given scientists an easier and less controversial way to harness the power of embryonic-like stem cells to study human disease from its earliest beginnings in hopes of gleaning new insights into the root causes of disease and developing new therapies.

7 May 2010

Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Chronic pain severely limits patients' quality of life and is among the cost drivers in U.S. health care. Patients can suffer pain without an apparent cause and often fail to respond to available treatments. Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators now report that chronic pain may be caused by the inadvertent reprogramming of more than 2,000 genes in the peripheral nervous system. The research findings appear in the current issue of the journal Genome Research.

7 May 2010

Study highlights benefits of using endometrial stem cells to restore functioning of brain cells

Stem cells derived from the endometrium (uterine lining) and transplanted into the brains of laboratory mice with Parkinson's disease appear to restore functioning of brain cells damaged by the disease, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

7 May 2010

Neurons' complicated tree-like structure formation unravelled

A breakthrough about the formation and maintenance of tree-like nerve cell structures could have future applications in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the repair of injuries in which neurons are damaged. The findings by the international team led by Prof. Benjamin Podbilewicz of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Biology are published in the May 6th issue of Science Express.

7 May 2010

Neuroscientists show how individual neurons carry significant aspects of sensory processing

Pioneering a novel microscopy method, neuroscientist Arthur Konnerth and colleagues from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have shown that individual neurons carry out significant aspects of sensory processing: specifically, in this case, determining which direction an object in the field of view is moving.

7 May 2010

The emerging science of epigenetics

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess remarkable properties of self-renewal and pluripotency, the ability to become almost any kind of cell within the body. And yet they share the same genome or set of genes with lineage-committed cells, cells fated to be or do one thing.

7 May 2010

Tel Aviv researchers develop microscope-based cell scanner to speed research into fat-busting drugs

Anglers rely on fish finders to help them locate the big catch. Now Tel Aviv University researchers in tissue engineering have developed a "fat finder" that can help scientists accelerate their research into new fat-melting drugs.

7 May 2010

Researchers use new tools to study how brain responds when injury occurs

Researchers at four institutions, led by Stanford University and Brown University, have begun an effort with more than $14 million of federal funding to learn both how the brain and its microcircuitry react to sudden physiological changes and what can be done to encourage recovery from injury.

6 May 2010

Neurons News and Research

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

New approach to prevention and management of Alzheimer's disease

Thymosin beta 4 reduces brain tissue damage, improves brain function in rats: Research paper

Stem cell research could lead to new treatment strategies for motor neuron disease

Basque researchers find new Alzheimer's-related mechanism

Role of neurotransmitter acetylcholine may suggest new treatment for Parkinson's disease: Researchers

Research team converts astroglia into two main classes of cortical neurons

Scientists find clues to how our brains work

Blood-flow fMRI to be used to study brain-wide impact of neural circuitry changes

Athersys presents data supporting MultiStem programs

Foundation Venture Capital Group makes initial investment of $175,000 to develop test to diagnose AD

Study shows direct cellular interaction between endocannabinoids and alcohol in the brain

Fragile X syndrome iPS cells and embryonic stem cells behave differently: Study

Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Study highlights benefits of using endometrial stem cells to restore functioning of brain cells

Neurons' complicated tree-like structure formation unravelled

Neuroscientists show how individual neurons carry significant aspects of sensory processing

The emerging science of epigenetics

Tel Aviv researchers develop microscope-based cell scanner to speed research into fat-busting drugs

Researchers use new tools to study how brain responds when injury occurs

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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