Neurons News and Research

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BVA unveils wide-view neurostimulator concept, prototype bionic eye

Bionic Vision Australia today unveils their wide-view neurostimulator concept - a bionic eye that will be implanted into Australia's first recipient of the technology.

31 Mar 2010

Neuroscientists prevent memory loss in fruit flies by blocking activity of PI3 kinase signaling protein

By blocking the cellular signaling activity of a protein, a team of neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has prevented memory loss in fruit flies caused by brain plaques similar to those thought to cause Alzheimer's disease in humans. The study also resolves a long-standing controversy about the role of this protein, PI3 kinase, which was previously thought to have a protective function against the disease.

30 Mar 2010

Scientists link gene expression profiling effort to identify potential novel therapeutic for ALS

In an article published in Nature Genetics today, scientists at the ALS Therapy Development Institute describe how they have linked an unbiased gene expression profiling effort to the identification and successful preclinical testing of a potential novel therapeutic for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

29 Mar 2010

UCSF approach may one day be used to create new periods of plasticity in human brain

UCSF scientists report that they were able to prompt a new period of "plasticity," or capacity for change, in the neural circuitry of the visual cortex of juvenile mice. The approach, they say, might some day be used to create new periods of plasticity in the human brain that would allow for the repair of neural circuits following injury or disease.

27 Mar 2010

Modified protein plays a key role in memory processes

How do we process thoughts and store memories? A team of researchers headed by Dr. Nahum Sonenberg of McGill's Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Centre has discovered that brains in mammals modify a particular protein in a unique way, which alters the protein's normal function.

26 Mar 2010

Study: Cell-based strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases

UCSF scientists have used a novel cell-based strategy to treat motor symptoms in rats with a disease designed to mimic Parkinson's disease.

26 Mar 2010

Insulin receptor vital for keeping neural stem cells alive

University of California, Berkeley, biologists have found a signal that keeps stem cells alive in the adult brain, providing a focus for scientists looking for ways to re-grow or re-seed stem cells in the brain to allow injured areas to repair themselves.

26 Mar 2010

Artist and scientist examine principles of visual perception

A novel research project spearheaded by the University of Leicester and part-funded by The Leverhulme Trust aims to shed new light on the way people perceive art.

26 Mar 2010

Research could pave way for new generation of painkillers

An international group of scientists led by Dr Nikita Gamper of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences has discovered how two proteins play a key role in the way we feel pain, offering new targets on which drug development can be focused.

25 Mar 2010

Protein deficiency in Down syndrome patients could contribute to cognitive impairment and congenital heart defects

Conventional wisdom among scientists for years has suggested that because individuals with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, the disorder most likely results from the presence of too many genes or proteins contained in that additional structure.

24 Mar 2010

New research at Tel Aviv University may lay groundwork for retinal implants in people

Television's Six Million Dollar Man foresaw a future when man and machine would become one. New research at Tel Aviv University is making this futuristic "vision" of bionics a reality.

23 Mar 2010

Study identifies cytokine signaling pathway that induces breakdown of disused skeletal muscle

A new study in the Journal of Cell Biology identifies a cytokine signaling pathway that induces the breakdown of disused skeletal muscle. Blocking this pathway could prevent immobilized patients from losing their muscle tissue.

23 Mar 2010

Microglia contribute to loss of neurons linked with Alzheimer's disease

Microglia are the cells responsible for immune surveillance in the brain, and they initiate protective inflammatory reactions in response to tissue damage and infection. An international team under the leadership of LMU neuroscientist Professor Jochen Herms has now shown that these cells may actually make a significant contribution to the loss of neurons associated with Alzheimer's disease.

22 Mar 2010

Chao BRAIN Center receives $5M gift for study of progressive neurodegenerative diseases

Dr. Stephen Wong has received a $5 million gift from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation to study progressive neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease. The gift will support The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Bioinformatics Research and Imaging for Neurosciences (BRAIN) at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

22 Mar 2010

'Doublesex' gene also sculpts brain and nervous system architecture leading to sex-specific behaviours

The brains of males and females, and how they use them, may be far more different then previously thought, at least in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust.

22 Mar 2010

Turning microRNAs into novel drugs

Researchers around the globe are working on turning microRNAs, over 5,000 of which already have been identified, into novel drugs for a wide range of applications, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). These noncoding single-stranded RNAs act through binding to complementary mRNA sequences, thus preventing their translation into protein or accelerating mRNA breakdown, according to the March 15 issue of GEN.

20 Mar 2010

Research shows phenomenon of brain replay is much more complex

The hippocampus, a part of the brain essential for memory, has long been known to "replay" recently experienced events. Previously, replay was believed to be a simple process of reviewing recent experiences in order to help consolidate them into long-term memory.

18 Mar 2010

Researchers identify a novel way to study species-specific reproductive behavior

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have discovered that injecting a simple hormone into leeches creates a novel way to study how hormones and the nervous system work together to produce species-specific reproductive behavior.

17 Mar 2010

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. The study is online now and will appear in print in the next issue of the journal Cellular Reprogramming, to be published next month.

16 Mar 2010

BDNF could someday play significant role in prevention of high blood pressure: Study

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry (www.ohsu.edu/sod) have discovered that nitric oxide is a powerful regulator of a molecule that plays a critical role in the development and function of the nervous system. The finding could someday play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, which affects about one in three adults in the United States.

12 Mar 2010

Neurons News and Research

BVA unveils wide-view neurostimulator concept, prototype bionic eye

Neuroscientists prevent memory loss in fruit flies by blocking activity of PI3 kinase signaling protein

Scientists link gene expression profiling effort to identify potential novel therapeutic for ALS

UCSF approach may one day be used to create new periods of plasticity in human brain

Modified protein plays a key role in memory processes

Study: Cell-based strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Insulin receptor vital for keeping neural stem cells alive

Artist and scientist examine principles of visual perception

Research could pave way for new generation of painkillers

Protein deficiency in Down syndrome patients could contribute to cognitive impairment and congenital heart defects

New research at Tel Aviv University may lay groundwork for retinal implants in people

Study identifies cytokine signaling pathway that induces breakdown of disused skeletal muscle

Microglia contribute to loss of neurons linked with Alzheimer's disease

Chao BRAIN Center receives $5M gift for study of progressive neurodegenerative diseases

'Doublesex' gene also sculpts brain and nervous system architecture leading to sex-specific behaviours

Turning microRNAs into novel drugs

Research shows phenomenon of brain replay is much more complex

Researchers identify a novel way to study species-specific reproductive behavior

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

BDNF could someday play significant role in prevention of high blood pressure: Study

Neuroscience - Second Edition eBook

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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