 |
|
Protein's potential as a regulator of brain activity discovered
April 21, 2006UCI study points to new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases
Irvine, Calif. - UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity. The finding points to possible therapeutic applications in the development of new drugs for treatment of epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders.
Martin Smith, professor of anatomy and neurobiology in the School of Medicine, and his UCI colleagues discovered that agrin - a protein that directs synapse formation between nerve and muscle cells - can also inhibit the function of "pumps" that control sodium and potassium levels within cells.
These pumps, called sodium-potassium ATPases - or sodium pumps, for short - are especially important in electrically excitable cells, where they provide the basis for electrical impulses, known as action potentials, which are responsible for muscle contraction and signaling between nerve cells in the brain. They do this by pumping sodium out of a cell and pumping potassium in, setting up an electrochemical gradient - in a sense, turning the cell into a battery.
If this activity isn't properly moderated, uncontrollable electrical impulses can be triggered, which is one of the cellular mechanisms behind an epileptic seizure, for instance.
This is where agrin comes into action. The UCI researchers observed in laboratory tests that agrin controls the excitability of nerve cells in the brain by regulating sodium pump activity. Adding agrin caused nerve cells to fire electrical impulses uncontrollably. In turn, the researchers found that they could block these electrical impulses by introducing small fragments of agrin, which prevented the full agrin proteins from binding their sites on the sodium pump molecules and initiating action potentials.
"The ability of agrin to modulate nerve cell excitability suggests that the agrin-sodium pump interactions can be exploited as a novel therapeutic target for epilepsy and other brain disorders," Smith said.
Agrin proteins are also expressed in heart tissue, and Smith notes that sodium pump inhibitors, such as digoxin, are commonly used to treat congestive heart failure. Agrin may, therefore, have therapeutic value for the treatment of diseases affecting tissues and organs outside of the brain.
University of California-Irvine
These pumps, called sodium-potassium ATPases - or sodium pumps, for short - are especially important in electrically excitable cells, where they provide the basis for electrical impulses, known as action potentials, which are responsible for muscle contraction and signaling between nerve cells in the brain. They do this by pumping sodium out of a cell and pumping potassium in, setting up an electrochemical gradient - in a sense, turning the cell into a battery.
If this activity isn't properly moderated, uncontrollable electrical impulses can be triggered, which is one of the cellular mechanisms behind an epileptic seizure, for instance.
This is where agrin comes into action. The UCI researchers observed in laboratory tests that agrin controls the excitability of nerve cells in the brain by regulating sodium pump activity. Adding agrin caused nerve cells to fire electrical impulses uncontrollably. In turn, the researchers found that they could block these electrical impulses by introducing small fragments of agrin, which prevented the full agrin proteins from binding their sites on the sodium pump molecules and initiating action potentials.
"The ability of agrin to modulate nerve cell excitability suggests that the agrin-sodium pump interactions can be exploited as a novel therapeutic target for epilepsy and other brain disorders," Smith said.
Agrin proteins are also expressed in heart tissue, and Smith notes that sodium pump inhibitors, such as digoxin, are commonly used to treat congestive heart failure. Agrin may, therefore, have therapeutic value for the treatment of diseases affecting tissues and organs outside of the brain.
University of California-Irvine
Brain Activity Current Events and Brain Activity News RSSResearchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.
New brain findings on dyslexic children
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.
Neural mechanism reveals why dyslexic brain has trouble distinguishing speech from noise
New research reveals that children with developmental dyslexia have a deficit in a brain mechanism involved in the perception of speech in a noisy environment.
'Emotions increase or decrease pain': researchers
Getting a flu shot this fall? Canadians scientists have found that focusing on a pretty image could alleviate the sting of that vaccine.
New UAB Study Sheds Light on Brain's Response to Distress, Unexpected Events
In a new study, psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic event.
Theory about long and short-term memory questioned by UCL scientists
The long-held theory that our brains use different mechanisms for forming long-term and short-term memories has been challenged by new research from UCL, published today in PNAS.
Weizmann Institute scientists reveal how some aromas are bound up in our memories
From Proust's Madeleines to the overbearing food critic in the movie Ratatouille who's transported back to his childhood at the aroma of stew, artists have long been aware that some odors can spontaneously evoke strong memories.
Squeak, squeak -- can you hear me now?
What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" - mice that have outstanding hearing as they age.
Sex-based prenatal brain differences found
Prenatal sex-based biological differences extend to genetic expression in cerebral cortices. The differences in question are probably associated with later divergences in how our brains develop.
First-time Internet users find boost in brain function after just 1 week
You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web.
More Brain Activity Current Events and Brain Activity News Articles
 |
Brain-Compatible Activities for Mathematics, Grades 2-3 by David A. Sousa (Author) Aligned with NCTM standards and focal points, this resource offers ready-to-use lessons that include brain-compatible math activities, step-by-step instructions for the teacher, and all the necessary reproducibles. |
 |
Manhattan Toy Buzzing Through Activity Book by Manhattan Baby Each Activity Book has a character that moves from page to page to keep your little one's attention. Sunny Day: This rhyming story has a different activity on each page, from a hidden mirror for self-discovery to a soft bunny that hops through a hole, there are a variey of tactile surfaces and colorful characters that come out to play on a sunny day. Where's the Bone: The loveable black and white puppy searches high and low for his bone in this irrestible story that's loaded with fun activites. A tethered bone tucks into pockets and under flaps throughout the book and with hidden noise makers that make for a stimulati. Buzzing Through: This story has an adorable bee with shiny wings that buzzes through page to page. |
 |
KidKraft Activity Center with Stools by KidKraft KidKraft Activity Center with 3 Stools. Pull up a chair and let the fun begin! The perfect place to play, draw and let imaginations run wild! Features a 2-sided tabletop that has a smooth surface on one side and LEGO-compatible surface on the other! Comes with 3 wooden stools so multiple children can play at the same time. The fun has just begun: Storage space keeps blocks and other items in one place; Sturdy wood construction for stability and years of use ; Packaged with assembly instructions; Measures 24 x 24 x 21; stool measures 11 x 12 1/2 x 22", seat is 10 3/4" high.; Play time just got more fun! Order Today! KidKraft Activity Center with 3 Stools |
 |
Increasing Water Pressure Can Severely Hamper One's Brain Activity The Biv (Primary Contributor) |
 |
ABC News Nightline Building Brains: The Sooner, The Better Is it ever too early to begin educating you children? During the first few years of a baby's life, 100 billion neurons are being connected to one another by literally trillions of synapses. If those synapses remain unused, they could be eliminated. Use them and they're there for life. But if they remain unstimulated by sight or sound or touch, then, in the extreme, the brain of an infant will literally shrink. Nightline looks at an educational program in Brattleboro Vermont that teaches parents to focus on their children's developmental years and speaks with a leading expert on the brain and how it develops - Dr. Stanley Greenspan from George Washington University. |
 |
Memorizing Strategies & Other Brain-Based Activities by Leann Nickelsen (Author) Help your students review content areas with fun and easy activities. Draw cartoons to help remember vocaulary words, toss dice to review math skils, amd more. Includes the latest brain research, plus study secrets. |
![Module 01 [RARE]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YBOweosRL._SL160_.jpg) |
Module 01 [RARE] 1 Jadis Passage Du Lalung La (11:02) 2 Entheogenic Invisible Landscapes (9:04) 3 Solar Fields Electric Fluid (Early Mix) (5:56) 4 Asura Lost Eden (6:02) 5 Talamasca Brain Activity (9:14) 6 Toires Ma Wa'l Hob (5:32) 7 Aes Dana Suspended Grounds (5:34) 8 Tiya Taxi Drive (7:12) 9 Nomad Zamba (7:18) 10 Javier De Galloy Dream In Vain (3:47) |
 |
Manhattan Toy Sunny Day Activity Book by Manhattan Baby Each Activity Book has a character that moves from page to page to keep your little one's attention. Sunny Day: This rhyming story has a different activity on each page, from a hidden mirror for self-discovery to a soft bunny that hops through a hole, there are a variey of tactile surfaces and colorful characters that come out to play on a sunny day. Where's the Bone: The loveable black and white puppy searches high and low for his bone in this irrestible story that's loaded with fun activites. A tethered bone tucks into pockets and under flaps throughout the book and with hidden noise makers that make for a stimulati. Buzzing Through: This story has an adorable bee with shiny wings that buzzes through page to page. |
 |
Bubble Blitzer Glitter Critter by Little Kids, Inc. Simply blow into the Bubble Blitzer Glitter Critter and watch the glitter wings spin as bubbles fly into the air. Bubble Blitzer will blow up to 3,000 bubbles a minute. Premium bubble solution is included. |
 |
Crayola Dry Erase Activity Center by Crayola Play, practice, and have fun over and over again with this unique dry-erase board! The Crayola Dry-Erase Activity Center has a clear writing and drawing surface that allows you to slide blank or preprinted template cards underneath the window. Ideas for over 25 activities are found in the 4-page instruction sheet enclosed in the package. Dimensions: 12" x 15" x 2" Ages 4+ |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |