Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Scientists discover brain mechanisms that separate food consumption from cravings

Researchers investigating eating disorders often study chemical and neurological functions in the brain to discover clues to overeating. Understanding non-homeostatic eating -- or eating that is driven more by palatability, habit and food cues -- and how it works in the brain may help neuroscientists determine how to control cravings, maintain healthier weights and promote healthier lifestyles. Scientists at the University of Missouri recently discovered the chemical circuits and mechanisms in the brain that separate food consumption from cravings. Knowing more about these mechanisms could help researchers develop drugs that reduce overeating.

9 Mar 2016

Geneticists explore evolution of musical aptitude

Geneticists at the University of Helsinki and the National University of Singapore have teamed up to explore the evolution of musical aptitude in the first-ever empirical study of the evolution of music.

3 Mar 2016

Polyunsaturated lipids can alter binding rate of two receptors involved in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

A study published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from the Nature group demonstrates, for the first time and using computational tools, that polyunsaturated lipids can alter the binding rate of two types of receivers involved in certain nervous system diseases.

2 Mar 2016

CAMH, Impel NeuroPharma partner to advance novel treatment to alleviate depression

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Impel NeuroPharma have signed a licensing agreement to advance a new neuropeptide-based therapeutic approach shown to be effective in treating depression.

1 Mar 2016

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Columbia University scientists have developed a new optical technique to study how information is transmitted in the brains of mice. Using this method, they found that only a small portion of synapses -- the connections between cells that control brain activity--may be active at any given time.

26 Feb 2016

Pitt experts lead gene therapy clinical trial in Parkinson's disease patients

Experts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are leading the second arm of a clinical trial using gene therapy to relieve the symptoms of tremor and mobility impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

23 Feb 2016

Regrowing dopaminergic neurons may lead to new therapy for Parkinson's disease

While scientists are unsure of the molecular causes of Parkinson's Disease, they do know the disorder's tremors and other motor dysfunctions are linked to a loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra, a structure in the midbrain.

16 Feb 2016

Researchers report first-ever link between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression

The team of Bruno Giros, a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and professor of psychiatry at McGill University, reports the first-ever connection between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, this breakthrough paves the way for new depression treatments that target the adrenergic system.

15 Feb 2016

Human brains prioritize and reinforce high-reward memories

Why do we remember some events, places and things, but not others? Our brains prioritize rewarding memories over others, and reinforce them by replaying them when we are at rest, according to new research from the University of California, Davis, Center for Neuroscience, published Feb. 11 in the journal Neuron.

15 Feb 2016

Wayne State inks exclusive license agreement with TRImaran Pharma for novel class of drugs

Wayne State University recently entered into an exclusive license agreement with TRImaran Pharma Inc. for a class of novel drugs developed at Wayne State University that aims to offer hope in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), depression, ADHD and other neurological disorders.

9 Feb 2016

Study could open door for new treatment targets to help Parkinson's disease patients walk more easily

Two secrets of one of the brain's most enigmatic regions have finally been revealed. In a pair of new studies, scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a specific neural circuit that controls walking, and they found that input to this circuit is disrupted in Parkinson's disease.

29 Jan 2016

TSRI scientists discover molecular ‘switch’ that could reduce nicotine addiction

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a lipid in brain cells may act as a “switch” to increase or decrease the motivation to consume nicotine.

19 Jan 2016

Oral drug rivastigmine could help prevent falls in people with Parkinson’s

Scientists have discovered that a commonly prescribed dementia drug could hold the key to helping prevent debilitating falls for people with Parkinson’s.

18 Jan 2016

New treatment strategy may take pain away

A brain region controlling whether we feel happy or sad, as well as addiction, is remodeled by chronic pain, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

22 Dec 2015

Novel drug candidate prevents nerve cell damage in mouse model of Parkinson's disease

A team of scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Longevity Biotech, Inc., has demonstrated that neuroprotection could be attained in preclinical models by a novel drug candidate that changes immune responses.

18 Dec 2015

Antibiotic resistance may help find drugs to combat amyloid formation

Amyloid diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and type-2 diabetes pose a particular problem for drug designers because they do not present a clear target structure to aim at.

15 Dec 2015

UB researchers develop a way to ramp up conversion of skin cells into dopamine neurons

For decades, the elusive holy grail in Parkinson's disease research has been finding a way to repair faulty dopamine neurons and put them back into patients, where they will start producing dopamine again. Researchers have used fetal material, which is difficult to obtain and of variable quality. Embryonic stem cells represented a tremendous innovation, but making dopamine neurons from stem cells is a long process with a low yield.

8 Dec 2015

Slower aging reduces degeneration related to Parkinson's disease

Humans have long sought to reduce the effects of aging. Now, there may be another reason to continue searching for ways to slow the clock--preventing Parkinson's disease.

25 Nov 2015

Dopamine measurements provides information crucial for human choice

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have reported measurements of dopamine release with unprecedented temporal precision in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease. The measurements, collected during brain surgery as the conscious patients played an investment game, demonstrate how rapid dopamine release encodes information crucial for human choice.

24 Nov 2015

Brain imaging reveals distinctive aspects of high-inflammation depression

About one third of people with depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood. New research indicates that persistent inflammation affects the brain in ways that are connected with stubborn symptoms of depression, such as anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure.

21 Nov 2015

Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Scientists discover brain mechanisms that separate food consumption from cravings

Geneticists explore evolution of musical aptitude

Polyunsaturated lipids can alter binding rate of two receptors involved in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

CAMH, Impel NeuroPharma partner to advance novel treatment to alleviate depression

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Pitt experts lead gene therapy clinical trial in Parkinson's disease patients

Regrowing dopaminergic neurons may lead to new therapy for Parkinson's disease

Researchers report first-ever link between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression

Human brains prioritize and reinforce high-reward memories

Wayne State inks exclusive license agreement with TRImaran Pharma for novel class of drugs

Study could open door for new treatment targets to help Parkinson's disease patients walk more easily

TSRI scientists discover molecular ‘switch’ that could reduce nicotine addiction

Oral drug rivastigmine could help prevent falls in people with Parkinson’s

New treatment strategy may take pain away

Novel drug candidate prevents nerve cell damage in mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Antibiotic resistance may help find drugs to combat amyloid formation

UB researchers develop a way to ramp up conversion of skin cells into dopamine neurons

Slower aging reduces degeneration related to Parkinson's disease

Dopamine measurements provides information crucial for human choice

Brain imaging reveals distinctive aspects of high-inflammation depression

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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