Neurons News and Research

RSS

NIH funded regeneration research to be presented at Society for Neuroscience annual meeting

Biologists long have marveled at the ability of some animals to re-grow lost body parts. Newts, for example, can lose a leg and grow a new one identical to the original. Zebrafish can re-grow fins.

20 Oct 2009

Researchers find the genetic mutation that is linked with changes in brain development

For decades, scientists have thought the faulty neural wiring that predisposes individuals to behavioral disorders like autism and psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia must occur during development. Even so, no one has ever shown that a risk gene for the disease actually disrupts brain development.

19 Oct 2009

Fate Therapeutics announces human iPSC generation using a combination of small molecules

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the generation of human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a combination of small molecules that significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reprogramming.

19 Oct 2009

Exercise prevents memory decline post brain radiation treatments

Exercise is a key factor in improving both memory and mood after whole-brain radiation treatments in rodents, according to data presented by Duke University scientists at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

19 Oct 2009

Multi-million dollar cooperative agreement for SMA drug development program

Paratek Pharmaceuticals (Boston, MA) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Elk Grove Village, IL) announced today that a jointly funded drug development program for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has been awarded a multi-million dollar cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

19 Oct 2009

APP balance critical for normal neuronal development

New data about amyloid precursor protein, or APP, a protein implicated in development of Alzheimer's disease, suggests it also may have a positive role -- directly affecting learning and memory during brain development. So is APP good or bad? Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center say both, and that a balance of APP is critical.

19 Oct 2009

Resveratrol in red grapes offers some protection against diabetes

A naturally produced molecule called resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to lower insulin levels in mice when injected directly into the brain, even when the animals ate a high-fat diet.

15 Oct 2009

Much remains to be done for autism spectrum disorders, say experts

Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done, say experts from the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who published a scientific review of the field today.

15 Oct 2009

Brain researcher finds how the epilepsy and pain drug works

A Duke University Medical Center researcher who spent years looking for the signals that prompt the brain to form new connections between neurons has found one that may explain precisely how a well-known drug for epilepsy and pain actually works.

14 Oct 2009

Scientists identify the first genetic mechanism that generates the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex-the outermost layer of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter-are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question.

14 Oct 2009

NIH awards Gladstone Institute consortium $3.7M for Huntington's disease research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a "Grand Opportunity" grant of $3.7 million to a consortium formed with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and the Taube-Koret Center for Huntington's Disease Research to use stem cell technology to better understand Huntington's disease (HD) and to develop potential therapies.

14 Oct 2009

New mouse models resembles human ALS; may provide important tool for screening new drugs

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

13 Oct 2009

Mouse model of ALS closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, says report

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

13 Oct 2009

Mechanism by which gene associated with autism and schizophrenia influences behavior identified

A Stanford University School of Medicine researcher has pinpointed the mechanism by which a gene associated with both autism and schizophrenia influences behavior in mice. And just recently, he received a $1.65 million government grant to expand his efforts to include many more such genes.

13 Oct 2009

Eric Boerwinkle receives $26 million federal stimulus grant to identify genetic factors influencing common diseases

Eric Boerwinkle, Ph.D., a professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, has received a $26 million federal stimulus grant to lead an effort to pinpoint genetic factors affecting the risk of heart, lung and blood diseases.

12 Oct 2009

Researchers discover that ATP transmits temperature information to afferent sensory neurons

A Japanese research group led by Prof. Makoto Tominaga and Dr. Sravan Mandadi (National Institute for Physiological Sciences: NIPS) found that ATP plays a key role in transmitting temperature information from skin keratinocytes to afferent sensory neurons. Their findings were presented in the Pflugers Archiv European Journal of Physiology published on October 2009.

9 Oct 2009

Premature aging of immune system develops amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Premature aging of the immune system appears to play a role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to research scientists from the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

9 Oct 2009

Valensa initiates licensing patent for the use of the astaxanthin as a dietary supplement

Valensa International (Orlando, FL USA) announced today that it has initiated a broad out licensing effort for University of Illinois patent (US 5,527,533 and its foreign equivalents) for the use of the astaxanthin in eye healthcare dietary supplement applications.

8 Oct 2009

PP5 enzyme decrease in neurons can cause cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients

A Purdue University researcher has discovered that the amount of an enzyme present in neurons can affect the mechanism thought to cause cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients and may have applications for other diseases such as stroke and heart attack.

8 Oct 2009

Johns Hopkins researchers identify several genetic links to autism

About 90 percent of autism spectrum disorders have suspected genetic causes but few genes have been identified so far. Now, leading an international team, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified several genetic links to autism, chief among them a variant of semaphorin 5A, whose protein product controls nerve connections in the brain.

8 Oct 2009

Neurons News and Research

NIH funded regeneration research to be presented at Society for Neuroscience annual meeting

Researchers find the genetic mutation that is linked with changes in brain development

Fate Therapeutics announces human iPSC generation using a combination of small molecules

Exercise prevents memory decline post brain radiation treatments

Multi-million dollar cooperative agreement for SMA drug development program

APP balance critical for normal neuronal development

Resveratrol in red grapes offers some protection against diabetes

Much remains to be done for autism spectrum disorders, say experts

Brain researcher finds how the epilepsy and pain drug works

Scientists identify the first genetic mechanism that generates the cerebral cortex

NIH awards Gladstone Institute consortium $3.7M for Huntington's disease research

New mouse models resembles human ALS; may provide important tool for screening new drugs

Mouse model of ALS closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, says report

Mechanism by which gene associated with autism and schizophrenia influences behavior identified

Eric Boerwinkle receives $26 million federal stimulus grant to identify genetic factors influencing common diseases

Researchers discover that ATP transmits temperature information to afferent sensory neurons

Premature aging of immune system develops amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Valensa initiates licensing patent for the use of the astaxanthin as a dietary supplement

PP5 enzyme decrease in neurons can cause cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients

Johns Hopkins researchers identify several genetic links to autism

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

Latest News