Neuroscience News and Research

RSS

Isoflavone diet plus metabolizing gut bacteria may provide protection against MS

A new University of Iowa study suggests that metabolism of plant-based dietary substances by specific gut bacteria, which are lacking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), may provide protection against the disease.

14 Jul 2021

Making memories necessitates a lot of DNA breakage

The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open their DNA in numerous locations--more than previously realized, according to a new study--to provide quick access to genetic instructions for the mechanisms of memory storage.

7 Jul 2021

Genetic treatment may provide a new approach to addressing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

For the first time, scientists have linked distinct patterns of genetic mutations with OCD in humans using genome-wide analysis.

29 Jun 2021

Scientists reveal key role of glial protein in building the brain

When we think of the brain, we think of neurons. But much of the brain is made of non-neuronal cells called glial cells, which help regulate brain development and function.

25 Jun 2021

New technology offers an alternative way to produce highly detailed images of the brain

The gold standard in functional brain imaging for over two decades, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has transformed the landscape of research and clinical care. Yet, because of its cost and functional limitations, scientists have continued to look for new ways to see into the human brain.

15 Jun 2021

Study reveals the first look of brains retrieving faulty memories

Scientists have observed for the first time what it looks like in the key memory region of the brain when a mistake is made during a memory trial.

9 Jun 2021

Study reveals key molecule involved in myelin repair

New research works indicate that new brain cells are continuously formed in response to physical exercise, injury, and mental stimulation.

9 Jun 2021

Developing computational tools to illuminate how genetic factors impact the brain

Liang Zhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop computational tools that improve our understanding of the human brain.

From University of Pittsburgh 8 Jun 2021

Gene therapy may be a safe and effective single-dose treatment for hypophosphatasia

A preclinical study led by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys has established that AAV8-TNAP-D10--a gene therapy that replaces a key enzyme found in bone--may be a safe and effective single-dose treatment for hypophosphatasia (HPP).

8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021

Researchers identify new therapeutic targets for flaviviruses

In a recent study, Australian scientists used an original approach to resolve the 3D structure of flaviviruses with an unprecedented level of detail, identifying small molecules known as 'pocket factors' as new therapeutic targets.

2 Jun 2021

Mouse model reveals new insights about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ALS is a very severe neurodegenerative disease in which nerve cells in the spinal cord controlling muscles and movement slowly die.

2 Jun 2021

Study shows why “the brain's memory center” is vulnerable to damage, degeneration

In a world first, scientists from the University of Sussex have recorded blood oxygen levels in the hippocampus and provided experimental proof for why the area, commonly referred to as 'the brain's memory center', is vulnerable to damage and degeneration, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

31 May 2021

Gene expression signatures underlying microglia linked with amyloid plaque phagocytosis

Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia distinguished by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain.

24 May 2021

Metagenomic sequencing helps examine differences in the gut microbiome after injury

Researchers used metagenomic sequencing to identify variations in virus and bacterial populations that occur following spinal cord injury in mice.

13 May 2021

Study: Individuals who recovered from depression had increased level of serotonin transporter

Low levels of serotonin in the brain are seen as a possible cause of depression and many antidepressants act by blocking a protein that transports serotonin away from the nerve cells.

11 May 2021

Distinctive "spike" proteins of SARS-CoV-2 also play a key role in the disease

Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2's distinctive "spike" proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells.

3 May 2021

New integrative genetic screening technology offers insights into role of DNA accessibility in cancer

In a new resource for the scientific community, published today in Nature Biotechnology, researchers in the lab of Neville Sanjana, PhD, at the New York Genome Center (NYGC) and New York University (NYU) developed CRISPR-sciATAC, a novel integrative genetic screening platform that jointly captures CRISPR gene perturbations and single-cell chromatin accessibility genome-wide.

30 Apr 2021

Genetically encoded sensor helps detect hallucinogenic substances

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a genetically encoded sensor for detecting hallucinogenic substances.

From The University of California, Davis 29 Apr 2021

Study identifies single protein key to regulating sex differences in Parkinson’s disease

Neuroscientists have found that a single protein is critical to controlling sex disparities in the brain’s susceptibility to age-related neuron loss.

From University of Pittsburgh 29 Apr 2021