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Researchers find two types of neurons that enable spinal cord to control skilled forelimb movement

Researchers have identified two types of neurons that enable the spinal cord to control skilled forelimb movement. The first is a group of excitatory interneurons that are needed to make accurate and precise movements; the second is a group of inhibitory interneurons necessary for achieving smooth movement of the limbs.

2 May 2014

Scientists develop new circuit board modeled on human brain

The Neurogrid circuit board can simulate orders of magnitude more neurons and synapses than other brain mimics on the power it takes to run a tablet computer.

29 Apr 2014

Researchers identify genetic factors that contribute to ADHD in humans

The 60 trillion cells that comprise our bodies communicate constantly. Information travels when chemical compounds released by some cells are received by receptors in the membrane of another cell.

26 Apr 2014

Researchers explain how synapses remain stable for a long time

Synapses are the points of contact at which information is transmitted between neurons. Without them, we would not be able to form thoughts or remember things.

22 Apr 2014

Researchers develop novel tools to learn how astrocytes listen in on neuronal communication

Everything we do - all of our movements, thoughts and feelings - are the result of neurons talking with one another, and recent studies have suggested that some of the conversations might not be all that private.

17 Apr 2014

Professor receives $1.7M NIH grant to explore novel treatments for chronic methamphetamine users

A Wayne State University professor recently received a nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to explore whether proteasome and parkin — two components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system — are potential pharmaceutical drug targets that can be manipulated to promote survival and recovery of dopaminergic terminals after binge and chronic administration of toxic doses of methamphetamine.

8 Apr 2014

Endurance sport keeps both muscles and nerves fit

Endurance sport does not only change the condition and fitness of muscles but also simultaneously improves the neuronal connections to the muscle fibers based on a muscle-induced feedback.

3 Apr 2014

Scientists discover role of protons in neurotransmission

While probing how organisms sense gravity and acceleration, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and the University of Utah uncovered evidence that acid (proton concentration) plays a key role in communication between neurons.

27 Mar 2014

New subcellular mechanism identified for fast transmission in basket cells of the brain

In his third major research paper since December 2013, IST Austria Professor Peter Jonas together with his collaborator, postdoc Hua Hu, identifies a new subcellular mechanism for reliable, fast transmission in the so-called basket cells of the brain.

25 Mar 2014

Neurexin proteins play key role in formation of synaptic connections

Neuroscientists and bioengineers at Stanford are working together to solve a mystery: how does nature construct the different types of synapses that connect neurons -- the brain cells that monitor nerve impulses, control muscles and form thoughts.

19 Mar 2014

Fujifilm launches latest healthcare technologies at 2014 HIMSS conference and exhibit

FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc., will be showing several new technologies at the 2014 annual meeting of the Healthcare Informatics Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference and exhibit in Orlando, FL from February 23-27, 2014.

25 Feb 2014

Deficiency in SNX27 explains learning impairment in Down's syndrome

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have identified the precise role of the protein, SNX27, in the pathway leading to memory and learning impairment.

20 Feb 2014

Research provides new insight into the effect of misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative disorders

Research by the University of Southampton has provided new insight into the consequence of accumulated 'misfolded proteins' in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Prion and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2014

Chronic stress generates long-term changes in brain that lead to mental problems

University of California, Berkeley, researchers have shown that chronic stress generates long-term changes in the brain that may explain why people suffering chronic stress are prone to mental problems such as anxiety and mood disorders later in life.

12 Feb 2014

Long-distance signaling molecules tell brain to produce anti-viral interferon

The brain contains a defense system that prevents at least two unrelated viruses-and possibly many more-from invading the brain at large. The research is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology.

11 Feb 2014

Scientists find a clue as to why muscles weaken with age

Scientists from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have found a clue as to why muscles weaken with age. In a study published Feb. 5 in The Journal of Neuroscience, they report the first evidence that "set points" in the nervous system are not inalterably determined during development but instead can be reset with age. They observed a change in set point that resulted in significantly diminished motor function in aging fruit flies.

9 Feb 2014

New study provides important understanding of what drives appetite

While the function of eating is to nourish the body, this is not what actually compels us to seek out food. Instead, it is hunger, with its stomach-growling sensations and gnawing pangs that propels us to the refrigerator - or the deli or the vending machine. Although hunger is essential for survival, abnormal hunger can lead to obesity and eating disorders, widespread problems now reaching near-epidemic proportions around the world.

9 Feb 2014

Researchers gain better understanding of HIV infection through electron microscopy

The human intestinal tract, or gut, is best known for its role in digestion. But this collection of organs also plays a prominent role in the immune system. In fact, it is one of the first parts of the body that is attacked in the early stages of an HIV infection. Knowing how the virus infects cells and accumulates in this area is critical to developing new therapies for the over 33 million people worldwide living with HIV. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology are the first to have utilized high-resolution electron microscopy to look at HIV infection within the actual tissue of an infected organism, providing perhaps the most detailed characterization yet of HIV infection in the gut.

30 Jan 2014

Hotspots of fuel consumption in adult brain also show key characteristics of developing brain

Although brain growth slows as individuals age, some regions of the brain continue to develop for longer than others, creating new connections and remodeling existing circuitry.

7 Jan 2014

Studies yield new insights into molecular mechanisms that underlie learning process

Learning requires constant reconfiguration of the connections between nerve cells. Two new studies now yield new insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the learning process.

22 Dec 2013