Research on nerve cells and the circuits they form. Covers neural mapping, brain development, the striatum, and single-neuron recording.
Researchers found that Taxol, a cancer drug, can aid in the regeneration of nerve cells after spinal cord injuries. The drug stabilizes microtubules and prevents the production of inhibitory substances in scar tissue, allowing for better nerve cell growth.
USF researchers identified CD45 as a critical component in dampening harmful inflammation in the brain's immune response. The study found that a loss of CD45 led to increased microglial inflammation and neurotoxin accumulation in Alzheimer's mouse models.
Researchers at the University of Calgary have made a breakthrough discovery about how calcium channels regulate neuronal activity. The study reveals that a protein called beta subunit acts as a molecular switch to stabilize or remove calcium channels, controlling excitability in nerve cells.
Researchers from Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization found that the brain's activity patterns are highly chaotic, with information lost at a rate of one bit per active neuron per second. This high deletion rate indicates that the cerebral cortex is tailored to process brief snapshots of sensory input.
Researchers found vasopressin in brain prevents neuronal swelling by maintaining neuron size, contrasting with kidney function. This discovery may aid in treating cerebral edema conditions, such as those caused by brain trauma or infarction.
Researchers at UNC Health Care have discovered a molecule, microRNA-29, that can make brain cells resistant to programmed cell death or apoptosis. This breakthrough could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative illnesses like Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
Researchers developed an optogenetic device to control the behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans worms using pulses of blue and green light. They successfully activated or inactivated specific neurons or muscle cells, turning the worm into a virtual biorobot.
A new technique uses inexpensive components from LCD projectors to activate specific neurons and muscles in freely moving worms, allowing for precise control over brain circuits. This advancement in optogenetics enables researchers to explore complex behaviors and functions of these tiny organisms.
Researchers at Stanford have developed a new method that allows them to examine the deep brain's neurons for months, enabling studies on diseases like dementia and cancer. The technique uses tiny glass tubes with microendoscopes to monitor individual cells over prolonged periods.
Researchers found that SIK2 suppressed CREB-mediated gene expression after oxygen and glucose deprivation, increasing neuronal survival in mice lacking SIK2. The SIK2-TORC1-CREB signaling pathway may serve as a potential therapeutic target for promoting neuron survival.
Researchers use vagus nerve stimulation paired with sound tones to retrain the brain and reduce ringing in the ears. After 20 days of treatment, tinnitus disappeared in noise-exposed rats, persisting for up to 3.5 months.
Researchers developed a non-invasive ultra-high-speed microscope to visualize brain activity in real-time, recording the firing of thousands of individual neurons in 3D. This technology could help decipher 'miscommunications' in neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia.
Immune cells called macrophages infiltrate mouse retina after eye injury and dampen inflammation, protecting retinal ganglion cells from death. Macrophage arrival also awakens dormant neural progenitor cells.
Researchers identify a key process leading to brain cell death in Parkinson's disease, offering hope for slowing progression and diagnosis. Blocking this process preserves parkin function and spares neurons.
Scientists have pinpointed the type of cell responsible for brain tumors known as oligodendrogliomas, a category of malignant brain tumors. The tumor originates in and spreads through glial progenitor cells, which are often referred to as 'daughter' cells of stem cells.
Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research found that neural stem cells maintain high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to help regulate normal self-renewal and differentiation. The findings may have significant implications for brain repair and abnormal brain development.
Researchers at the Salk Institute found that slowing mitochondrial function in specific cells can extend the lifespan of an entire organism. The key finding is that a unique signal emanating from damaged mitochondria in nerve or gut cells extends lifespan, while disrupting this signal has no effect.
Researchers have discovered how a malfunctioning gene associated with Lou Gehrig's disease leads to nerve-cell death in mice. The study found that the gene, TDP-43, causes neurons to die when it is bound up outside the nucleus and depletes the cell of normally functioning TDP-43.
Researchers used fruit flies to investigate the function of intestinal neurons, finding that they regulate appetite and adjust water balance during reproduction. Intestinal changes triggered by reproductive hormones may provide a benefit in terms of nutrient absorption but could come at a cost: shorter lifespan.
Researchers successfully transplanted cord blood-derived cells into a severely brain-injured child, showing improvement after six months. The study found that the cells persisted in the brain hemisphere and improved functional neurological impairment.
Overexpression of PGC-1α significantly improves neurological function in HD-model transgenic mice by reducing htt protein aggregation and oxidative stress. This discovery may lead to therapies targeting PGC-1α function for treating Huntington's disease and related disorders.
A new study reveals that ER stress can lead to the destruction of a protein that regulates calcium signaling in neurons, causing brain damage similar to neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers found that a protective chaperone protein helps maintain the interaction between this protein and calcium signaling.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have created a way to isolate pure preparations of neural stem cells directly from human brain tissue. This breakthrough technique saves months of time and labor in the laboratory, allowing scientists to study stem cells in unprecedented detail. The findings suggest that human n...
Researchers found that dynamic Hsp27 regulation is crucial for clearing abnormal tau protein and preventing neurofibrillary tangles. Effective Hsp27 switching promotes tau recycling in healthy nerve cells and clears brain abnormalities.
A new study reveals how diabetes disrupts brain cholesterol synthesis, leading to neurologic complications such as depression and increased Alzheimer's disease risk. Insulin therapy restores normal cholesterol production in the brain.
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital identified a signaling pathway regulating neuronal departure from the brain niche, crucial for brain architecture formation and associated with epilepsy and mental retardation. The findings also provide insight into mechanisms in epithelial tissues.
Researchers at MIT and Harvard discovered that the brain assigns gender to faces based on location, challenging a long-held neuroscience principle. The study found that when people view computer-generated faces without other distinguishing features, patterns of biases emerge based on where the face appears on the screen.
Researchers at USC College have made a groundbreaking discovery about sour flavors, revealing that protons from acids directly activate taste cells. This finding has important implications for understanding how different tastes interact and may lead to practical applications in cooking and food industry.
Researchers found that a mutation in the MeCP2 gene leads to the mobilization of L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of Rett syndrome. This discovery sheds light on the complexity of molecular events underlying psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
University of Illinois researchers developed microsensors that can track individual cells' masses and divisions over time. They found that cells grow faster as they grow heavier, rather than at a fixed rate throughout the cell cycle. The sensors also allow for imaging and tracking of cellular processes in conjunction with changes in mass.
Researchers at the Salk Institute found that fisetin slows the onset of motor problems and delays death in three models of Huntington's disease. The study suggests that fisetin may be able to slow down the progression of the disease in humans, improving quality of life for those affected.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center discovered a novel feedback mechanism controlled by the Zif protein that regulates the balance of brain stem cells. This discovery has implications for understanding neural stem cell self-renewal and may lead to new therapies against brain tumors and diseases.
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Researchers identified a common pain gene across species, including humans, which is linked to synesthesia and acts primarily in the brain, not peripheral nerves. The discovery opens up new avenues for understanding pain and developing more effective treatments.
Neurobiologists have identified specific types of neurons in the amygdala that process fear inputs and regulate subsequent fear responses. These circuits play a key role in the generalization of fear, allowing it to become divorced from its original situation, and may provide new targets for treating phobias and anxiety disorders.
Scientists at Caltech have identified a delicate balance in the brain that controls fear output from the amygdala. Two neural subtypes act like a seesaw to regulate fear levels, with PKCδ+ neurons forming one end and inhibiting outflow from the region.
Researchers studied zebra finch brain activity while singing to understand the neural basis of syntax and timing in songbird communication. The study found that specific neurons fire at precise moments to produce a musical-like sequence, similar to human speech.
Researchers applied transcranial direct current stimulation to the parietal lobe, improving participants' ability to learn artificial numbers and processing relationships between them. The treatment had a lasting impact of up to 6 months, with potential implications for individuals with moderate to severe numerical disabilities.
Researchers have solved some of the mysteries of the zebrafish's neural circuit that underlies its vision. By analyzing the brain activity of retinal cells, they found that large visual stimuli are filtered out to prevent overreacting, while small moving objects activate the output neurons efficiently.
Scientists imaged individual neurons in zebrafish optic tectum, finding that strong activation leads to chasing motion, while weak activation results in no action. Inhibitory neurons play a key role in filtering out irrelevant signals.
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine identified a novel regulatory mechanism controlling protein TCF3, essential for embryonic development and potentially leading to cancer diagnosis and therapy. This discovery may enable early detection of cancers and develop drugs targeting the modified TCF3.
A study funded by NIH shows that participants can force a computer to display one image and discard another using only their thoughts. The research used brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to understand how the brain processes information, particularly attention and decision-making.
MIT neuroscientists identify a 'chain reaction' of brain activity that controls the timing of song in birds, with individual neurons firing at precise intervals to produce a stereotypical song. The study's findings support the 'synfire chain' model, where each neuron triggers the next, like falling dominos.
Research led by Dr. Fu-Dong Shi at Barrow Neurological Institute revealed that natural killer cells play a critical role in controlling CNS inflammation and immune response. Enriching affected areas with NK cells improved disease symptoms, while blocking them worsened outcomes.
Scientists have identified a novel signal that can control the behavior of stem cells, which holds promise for treating cancer and birth defects. The research, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, uses bioelectrical therapy to guide stem cells along the correct pathways.
Biologists at Tufts University have discovered that changes in membrane voltage in newly identified 'instructor cells' can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The researchers found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport.
Researchers found that activation of D1 and D2 neurons in the nucleus accumbens region of the brain exert opposite effects on cocaine reward. Activation of D1 neurons increases cocaine reward, while activation of D2 neurons decreases it. This imbalance may lead to chronic exposure to cocaine resulting in decreased activity in D2 neurons.
A UCLA study found that exposing fetal neurons to high levels of the immune protein MHC leads to abnormal brain development in mice. This discovery may provide new insights into factors contributing to human neurological disorders like schizophrenia and autism.
Researchers found that certain neurons represent accumulation of evidence to a threshold and others represent evidence itself, driving decision-making. The study offers potential insights into psychological disorders, such as ADHD, where impairments in decision-making occur.
Researchers at Temple University discovered that STIM1 protein inhibits voltage-operated calcium channels in non-excitable cells, providing a common mechanism for calcium signaling in both types of cells. This finding reveals a crucial role of STIM1 in sensing low calcium levels and activating Orai channels.
Researchers have developed a novel strategy for creating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that exhibits significant advantages over current methods. The new approach uses synthetic modified messenger RNA molecules to reprogram adult cells into iPSCs with high efficiency and safety.
A new study by MIT neuroscientists suggests that the brain learns to solve object recognition through experience in the natural world. Researchers exposed monkeys to altered visual stimuli, which led to changes in neural activity and object preferences.
Researchers led by Dr. Akihiro Yamanaka discovered that orexin-releasing neurons have a self-excitation mechanism that activates each other, maintaining high-level activity and wakefulness. This finding overturns an existing theory and suggests that this mechanism may be involved in insomnia.
A study found that excess alpha-synuclein blocks the formation of autophagosome precursors and omegasomes, leading to impaired autophagy in neurons. This can result in the gradual accumulation of toxic proteins and dysfunctional mitochondria, sensitizing neurons to cell death.
Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have identified a novel molecular pathway underlying Parkinson's disease, which involves polyamines and toxic proteins in neurons. The study suggests that polyamine-lowering drugs may be able to slow the disease's progression and potentially lead to early detection tests.
Researchers discovered an indirect approach to reducing JAK2 activity by targeting HSP90, which stabilized JAK2. This treatment normalized blood counts and improved survival in mouse models of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Inhibiting c-Met also decreased mTOR signaling and blocked cyst formation in a mouse model of autosomal dominant p...
Researchers found that NGP 555 selectively targets gamma secretase, reducing Aβ42 and amyloid pathology in a transgenic mouse model. Chronic administration led to significant reduction in diffuse and neuritic plaques without GI side effects.
Researchers at Scripps Research Institute have identified two proteins, Piezo1 and Piezo2, that play a crucial role in mechanotransduction - the conversion of mechanical force into chemical signals. This discovery could lead to new treatment approaches for pain, deafness, and cardiac function.
A team of researchers at the University of Oregon has made a groundbreaking discovery about stem cell division, finding that cortical proteins help position a cleavage furrow in the right location. This new mechanism has important implications for understanding how stem cells divide to produce unique cell types.
A team of University of Oregon scientists has found that when a sound is loud enough, auditory neurons simply accept it and ignore subsequent reverberations. This simplifies the filtering process, suggesting that a sophisticated system to suppress echoes may not be necessary.