Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

New Study Sheds Light on Evolution of Sex Differences in Animals

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and Heidelberg University in Germany have shown that sex differences in animals vary dramatically across species, organs and developmental stages, and evolve quickly at the gene level but slowly at the cell type level.

3 Nov 2023

Unlocking the Secrets of Memory: Key Protein Regulates Hippocampal Plasticity

Mount Sinai researchers have shed valuable light on the mechanism of a key protein that regulates the plasticity and function of the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory and learning, and that decreases with age in mice.

3 Nov 2023

New Methods to Modify Molecular Structure Could Lead to More Tailored Drugs

For years, the top desire among those engaged in the development of pharmaceutical drugs was to find a simple method for substituting a carbon atom with a nitrogen atom in a molecule.

2 Nov 2023

Study Identifies Significant Changes in Peptides During Pyroglutamination

Peptides are biomolecules formed when two or more amino acids that perform key functions in the human organism, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, painkillers and antibiotics, bind together. For this reason, they are much studied and used by the pharmaceutical industry, for example.

2 Nov 2023

Scientists Unlock the Structure of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2

Neurons talk to each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have drawn on structural biology expertise to determine structures of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a key component of neuronal communication.

2 Nov 2023

DNA’s Role in Glioblastoma: Insights from Umeå University’s Research

A groundbreaking research conducted at Umeå University in Sweden has revealed that the three-dimensional arrangement of DNA can impact the development of aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma.

1 Nov 2023

Uncovering New Insights Into Primate Brain Evolution

In a recent research investigation, scientists from Yale University unveiled the molecular pathways responsible for the developmental distinctions that set primates apart from mice.

27 Oct 2023

ISB Researchers Discover Genetic Key to T Cell Development

T cells are soldiers on the front lines of the human immune system. They are responsible for many important roles, including attacking viral- or bacterial-infected cells and certain cancer cells, and immunological memory – remembering the specific pathogens or the cancer signatures that originally trigger T cells.

26 Oct 2023

Kingfisher Genes Reveal Secrets of How They Dive Without Sustaining Brain Damage

If you've ever belly-flopped into a pool, then you know: water can be surprisingly hard if you hit it at the wrong angle. But many species of kingfishers dive headfirst into water to catch their fishy prey.

24 Oct 2023

AI Model Predicts Age and Detects Disease in Eye Fluid

A group of scientists mapped over 6,000 proteins found in various cell types within the eye using a few drops of eye fluid taken through surgery. Researchers reported that a proteomic clock with an AI model is designed to predict a fit person’s age based on their protein profile.

20 Oct 2023

New Insight Into How Cancer Cells Function in Softer Tissue Environments

A collaborative research team from the University of Turku and Turku Bioscience Centre, in conjunction with Misvik Biology Ltd in Finland, has introduced a novel technique for investigating the behavior of cancer cells in both softer and stiffer tissue environments.

19 Oct 2023

Developing Regenerative Therapies to Treat Neurological Conditions

The primary cells that make up our brain and spinal cord, called neurons, are among the slowest to heal after injury, and many neurons never fully recover. Although research into neural regeneration has advanced, it is still unclear why certain neurons recover while others do not.

17 Oct 2023

New Way to Visualize Tumors During Surgery

Surgeons often face the challenge of achieving precise tumor removal while preserving healthy tissue. Traditionally, they rely on their visual and tactile senses to determine where to make incisions.

17 Oct 2023

Study Discovers Fanzors in Eukaryotic Organisms

Snails, algae, and amoebas all have programmable DNA-cutting enzymes called Fanzors, and a recent study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) McGovern Institute for Brain Research has found hundreds of them.

16 Oct 2023

New Atlases Reveal Unprecedented Detail of the Human Brain

In two concurrent projects, scientists at the Karolinska Institutet have played a significant role in producing the most extensive atlases of human brain cells to date.

13 Oct 2023

Researchers Develop Drug Targeting lncRNA TUG1 to Control Brain Tumor Growth in Mice

A new study has unraveled a crucial link between how cancer cells cope with replication stress and the role of Taurine Upregulated Gene 1 (TUG1). By targeting TUG1 with a drug, the researchers were able to control brain tumor growth in mice, suggesting a potential strategy to combat aggressive brain tumors such as glioblastomas.

13 Oct 2023

New Microscopy Technique Reveals Unprecedented Details of Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Karolinska Institute (KI), and the biotechnology company BioArctic, both in Sweden, have combined STED microscopy, a technology that allows super-resolution visualization, and a new antibody recently created to observe the amyloidogenic aggregates characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Oct 2023

How Plant-Derived Nutrients can Affect the Gut and Brain

Can plant-derived nutrients alter gut bacteria to affect brain function? Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research investigated this question in a study of overweight adults.

11 Oct 2023

Researchers Develop Bio-Inspired Drug to Boost Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

A new, bio-inspired drug restores the effectiveness of immune cells in fighting cancer, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found.

10 Oct 2023