Nervous System News and Research

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The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord.

Experts use super-resolution microscopy to observe individual synapse proteins

In the synapses of nerve cells (neurons), there are hundreds of specialized proteins that are important for the functioning of the nervous system. If something goes wrong here, neurological or psychiatric diseases can be the result - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, depression, and schizophrenia are just a few of them.

6 Nov 2020

Toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones have pharmacological potential, shows research

Researchers based in Brazil and the United States have completed the first-ever mapping exercise to profile the toxins produced by tube-dwelling anemones, or cerianthids, a family of marine animals belonging to the same phylum (Cnidaria) as sea anemones, jellyfish and corals.

30 Oct 2020

SARS-Cov-2 spike proteins can directly impact the function of blood-brain barrier

Like a key, SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - attaches to specific molecules on the host cell surface, opening gateways into the cell interior.

30 Oct 2020

Researchers identify genes associated with autism spectrum disorder

The lack of some genes in the BEC/TCEAL cluster could be related to some alterations associated with the autism spectrum disorder, according to a preclinical study published in the journal Genome Biology, and led by Professor Jordi Garcia Fernàndez, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), and researcher Jaime Carvajal, from the Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology - University Pablo de Olavide (CSIC-UPO).

27 Oct 2020

Researchers reveal the features of T cells for treating multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that develops as immune cells attack the nervous system. T cells are a critical part of our immune system, with a complex array of subtypes - some drive the autoimmune response, while others try to suppress it.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers discover a gene responsible for urination

In a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study involving both mice and patients who are part of an NIH Clinical Center trial, researchers discovered that a gene, called PIEZO2, may be responsible for the powerful urge to urinate that we normally feel several times a day.

20 Oct 2020

Researchers demonstrate the impact of epithelial cells, mammary microenvironment on breast cancer cells

The cover for issue 30 of Oncotarget features Figure 4, "RNAseq results demonstrating differences between normal, cancer, and redirected cells," by Frank-Kamenetskii, et al. which reported that the influence of breast cancer cells on normal cells of the microenvironment, such as fibroblasts and macrophages, has been heavily studied but the influence of normal epithelial cells on breast cancer cells has not.

19 Oct 2020

Researchers discover a new mechanism to regulate nerve impulses

Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have discovered a new mechanism by which substances can open a certain type of ion channel and in this way regulate nerve impulses.

13 Oct 2020

Dopamine and serotonin found to be involved in perception, cognitive capacities

In first-of-their-kind observations in the human brain, an international team of researchers has revealed two well-known neurochemicals -- dopamine and serotonin -- are at work at sub-second speeds to shape how people perceive the world and take action based on their perception.

13 Oct 2020

New drug shows promise in the treatment of neuroblastoma

A drug has shown great promise in the treatment of neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. The study was led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden, and is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers discover how synapses find energy to support intense neural conversations

Our thoughts, feelings, and movements are controlled by billions of neurons talking to each other at trillions of specialized communication points called synapses.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers gain insight into potentiating effect of selective drugs

Some highly selective drugs cause unexpected effects in nerve cells: they not only reduce the activation of certain receptors, but also their inactivation.

5 Oct 2020

Cocaine addiction: Impact of genetic mutations elucidated

Cocaine addiction is a chronic disorder with a high rate of relapse for which no effective treatment is currently available.

28 Sep 2020

Biomarker for diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases identified in the eye

A new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers indicates a well-known biomarker that serves as a marker for earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is now detectable in the eye.

24 Sep 2020

Smart drug delivery system may help treat spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders

A Rutgers-led team has created a smart drug delivery system that reduces inflammation in damaged nervous tissues and may help treat spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders.

From Rutgers University 18 Sep 2020

Research finds gene family critical to unlocking vertebrate evolution

New University of Colorado Boulder-led research finds that the traits that make vertebrates distinct from invertebrates were made possible by the emergence of a new set of genes 500 million years ago, documenting an important episode in evolution where new genes played a significant role in the evolution of novel traits in vertebrates.

17 Sep 2020

NET probes could help gather massive brain data

Rice University engineers will gain a better understanding of brain activity over time with the support of the National Institutes of Health.

15 Sep 2020

Researchers explore link between uncontrolled inflammation and brain's immune cells

Inspired by the need for new and better therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, Rutgers University researchers are exploring the link between uncontrolled inflammation within the brain and the brain's immune cells, known as microglia.

9 Sep 2020

Study elucidates the active role of glial cells in the nervous system

For the brain to work efficiently, it is important that a nerve impulse arrives at its destination as quickly and as precisely as possible. It has been long been known that the nerve fibres - also known as axons - pass on these impulses.