Neuroscience News and Research

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The Art of Neuroscience: Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity in Isolated Neurons

Studying the complex interactions between synaptic nerve endings as well as their development has now become much easier.

30 Aug 2023

T Cells Infiltrate Brain and Worsen Alzheimer's Pathology, Study Finds

Cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) develops when neurons begin to die, which can be caused by inappropriate immune responses and excessive inflammation in the brain triggered by amyloid beta deposits and tau tangles, two hallmarks of the disease.

28 Aug 2023

Researchers Gain Insights Into Brain's Voluntary Mechanisms

Picture this scenario: You and a friend are walking around your neighborhood when you stop at a crosswalk. As you wait, the noises of the world and your internal thoughts all vie for your attention. Suddenly, you see a motorist nearly hit a bicyclist.

24 Aug 2023

Schizophrenia-Linked Chromosome Deletion Affects Mitochondria

Investigators are learning more about how schizophrenia develops by investigating the most powerful known genetic risk factor.

22 Aug 2023

Aging Disrupts Gene Expression in Specific Regions of the Brain

Most of us who've reached middle age have noticed a slowing in memory and cognition, but scientists don't have a clear picture of the molecular changes that take place in the brain to cause it.

18 Aug 2023

The Secret to Staying Awake May Lie in Astrocytes

New animal research suggests that little-studied brain cells known as astrocytes are major players in controlling sleep need and may someday help humans go without sleep for longer without negative consequences such as mental fatigue and impaired physical health.

18 Aug 2023

Newly Developed Antibody Therapy to Have Benefits Over Existing Opioid-Overdose Treatments

An antibody in single-chain fragment variable (scFv) format that binds to the powerful opioid carfentanil was shown to reverse signs of carfentanil overdose in preclinical tests conducted by scientists at Scripps Research.

11 Aug 2023

Study Shows How Sensory Neurons Control Gastrointestinal Tracts

Gastrointestinal and digestive issues impact roughly 3 million people across the United States alone, and that number is growing.

4 Aug 2023

Mothers Who Eat Herbs in Early Pregnancy Can Protect Their Grandchildren’s Brains, Finds Study

Mothers who eat apples and herbs in early pregnancy could be protecting the brain health of their children and grandchildren, a Monash University study using genetic models has found.

4 Aug 2023

Single-Cell Sequencing Finds New Cell Types in the Visual Systems of Flies

Researchers from New York University have created a method that discovers and labels neurons throughout development, which has allowed them to identify novel cell types in the visual system of flies.

1 Aug 2023

Integrating Ultrasound with Genetics to Precisely Modify Neurons in the Brain

Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the brain.

28 Jul 2023

RNA-Based CATCH Strategy Aims to Activate Dendritic Cells

Investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have designed an innovative RNA-based strategy to activate dendritic cells-;which play a key role in immune response-;that eradicated tumors and prevented their recurrence in mouse models of melanoma.

28 Jul 2023

New Method for Building Modular Optical Sensors to Detect Bacteria and Viruses

An innovative method for building modular optical sensors that can detect viruses and bacteria has been created by an interdisciplinary research team from Bochum, Duisburg, and Zurich.

24 Jul 2023

New Method Creates Embryo-Like Structure That Mimics Gastrulation

Gastrulation, the process where an embryo reorganizes itself from a hollow sphere into a multilayered structure, is considered a "black box" of human development.

21 Jul 2023

Scientists Discover Specific Genes Involved in Rare, Life-Threatening Heart Disease

By identifying genes in patients and testing their effects in fruit flies, researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys have found new genes that contribute to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare, life-threatening heart disease that occurs in infants.

18 Jul 2023

Xenogeneic-Free Brain Organoids Offer New Hope for Studying Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers at University of Michigan developed a method to produce artificially grown miniature brains -; called human brain organoids -; free of animal cells that could greatly improve the way neurodegenerative conditions are studied and, eventually, treated.

14 Jul 2023

Scientists Discover How Brain's "Population Clock" Guides Behavior

From Aristotle's musings on the nature of time to Einstein's theory of relativity, humanity has long pondered: how do we perceive and understand time? The theory of relativity posits that time can stretch and contract, a phenomenon known as time dilation. Just as the cosmos warps time, our neural circuits can stretch and compress our subjective experience of time. As Einstein famously quipped, "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute".

14 Jul 2023

Dad’s Genes “Remote Control” Mom’s Metabolism to Benefit Fetus

The unborn baby “remote controls” its mother’s metabolism, resulting in a nutritional tug-of-war between the two. The mother’s body requires the baby to survive, but she also needs enough glucose and fats in her system to be able to deliver the baby, breastfeed, and reproduce again.

12 Jul 2023

Ancient Virus-Like Transposons Found to Mediate Horizontal Gene Transfer in Worms

Scientists have known for decades that genes can be transferred from one species to another, both in animals and plants.

30 Jun 2023

The First Programmable RNA-Guided System in Eukaryotes Uncovered

Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT headed a team of researchers who discovered the first programmable RNA-guided mechanism in eukaryotes, which include fungi, plants, and animals.

29 Jun 2023