Drug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries
Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed. view more (2009-11-20)
Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident. view more (2009-11-09)
Master regulator found for regenerating nerve fibers in live animals
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report that an enzyme known as Mst3b, previously identified in their lab, is essential for regenerating damaged axons (nerve fibers) in a live animal model, in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. view more (2009-10-26)
Rethinking Alzheimer's disease and its treatment targets
The standard explanation for what causes Alzheimer's is known as the amyloid hypothesis, which posits that the disease results from of an accumulation of the peptide amyloid beta, the toxic protein fragments that deposit in the brain and become the sticky plaques that have defined Alzheimer's for more than 100 years. view more (2009-09-23)
MDC researchers discover molecule responsible for axonal branching
The human brain consists of about 100 billion (1011) neurons, which altogether form about 100 trillion (1014) synaptic connections with each other. view more (2009-09-22)
Neurons found to be similar to Electoral College
A tiny neuron is a very complicated structure. Its complex network of dendrites, axons and synapses is constantly dealing with information, deciding whether or not to send a nerve impulse, to drive a certain action. view more (2009-09-15)
Finding the right connection after spinal cord injury
In a major step in spinal cord injury research, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated that regenerating axons can be guided to their correct targets and re-form connections after spinal cord injury. view more (2009-08-03)
MS study offers theory for why repair of brain's wiring fails
Scientists have uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with multiple sclerosis accumulates because the body's natural mechanism for repair of the nerve coating called "myelin" stalls out. view more (2009-07-01)
Neural stem cell differentiation factor discovered
Neural stem cells represent the cellular backup of our brain. These cells are capable of self-renewal to form new stem cells or differentiate into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. view more (2009-06-30)
Protein regulates movement of mitochondria in brain cells
Scientists have identified a protein in the brain that plays a key role in the function of mitochondria - the part of the cell that supplies energy, supports cellular activity, and potentially wards off threats from disease. view more (2009-06-15)
Identification of a key molecular pathway required for brain neural circuit formation
The research group of Dr. Frédéric Charron, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), has made a discovery which could help treat spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. view more (2009-05-18)
Study gives more proof that intelligence is largely inherited
They say a picture tells a thousand stories, but can it also tell how smart you are? Actually, say UCLA researchers, it can. view more (2009-03-18)
Experts examine causes, treatment and prevention of glaucoma
Although scientists know progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons is the primary cause of glaucoma, researchers have yet to identify a way to stop or prevent the degeneration. view more (2009-03-05)
RSRT Advisor Makes Significant Discovery with Potential for Novel Therapeutic Approaches
A paper published online today in Nature Neuroscience reveals the presence of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) in glia. MeCP2 is a protein associated with a variety of neurological disorders, including Rett Syndrome, the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. view more (2009-02-23)
Researchers Disprove 15-year-old Theory about the Nervous System
A delay in traffic may cause a headache, but a delay in the nervous system can cause much more. University of Missouri researchers have uncovered clues identifying which proteins are involved in the development of the nervous system and found that the proteins previously thought to play a significant role, in fact, do not. view more (2009-02-04)
New insights into growth factor's role in brain development
New research sheds light on a neural growth factor called proBDNF, finding that it is present and potentially active during the perinatal period when the brain's circuitry and memory-encoding regions are being refined. view more (2009-02-03)
Maintaining the brain's wiring in aging and disease
Researchers at the Babraham Institute near Cambridge, supported by the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), have discovered that the brain's circuitry survives longer than previously thought in diseases of ageing such as Alzheimer's disease. view more (2008-12-08)
Claudin 11 stops the leaks in neuronal myelin sheaths
Devaux and Gow demonstrate how a tight junction protein called claudin 11 makes the neuronal myelin sheath a snug fit. view more (2008-12-01)
Prostate cancer spurs new nerves
Prostate cancer - and perhaps other cancers - promotes the growth of new nerves and the branching axons that carry their messages, a finding associated with more aggressive tumors, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in the first report of the phenomenon that appears today in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. view more (2008-12-01)
What makes an axon an axon?
Inside every axon is a dendrite waiting to get out. Hedstrom et al. converted mature axons into dendrites by banishing a protein crucial for neuron development. view more (2008-11-10)
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