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Understanding How α2δ Protein Mutations Influence Brain Development in Autism

A recent study has uncovered how specific genetic mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3 proteins linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) alter neuronal functionality. These mutations significantly reduce the proteins’ membrane expression and synaptic targeting but do not impair calcium channel activity or trans-synaptic signalling.

3 Feb 2025

Mapping of Neuronal IL-1R1 Expression in the Mouse Brain Sheds Light on Mood and Memory

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a key molecule involved in inflammation and plays an important role in both healthy and diseased states.

20 Jan 2025

Stress Pathway in Microglia Found to Contribute to Alzheimer's Neurodegeneration

Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

26 Dec 2024

Chaperone Proteins Unveil Their Role in Neurotransmission

A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the first to show how proteins called "chaperones" are vital in ensuring that neurons can transmit signals to one another. When this neurotransmission breaks down, devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's along with many others, can occur.

19 Dec 2024

EPFL Brain Models Break New Ground in Understanding Neural Connectivity

The hippocampus is one of the most fascinating brain regions. Associated with the formation of memories, it also helps us to navigate through the world without getting lost.

23 Nov 2024

How Neuroimmune Cells Modulate Immune Responses and Neuroinflammation

The brain, traditionally considered an immune-privileged organ due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), has its own sophisticated immune defense system.

7 Nov 2024

Integrating Multiple Scales to Understand Brain Function

A long-standing goal of neuroscience is to understand how molecules and cellular structures on a microscale give rise to communication between brain regions at the macroscale. A study published in Nature Neuroscience now identifies, for the first time, hundreds of brain proteins that explain inter-individual differences in functional connectivity and structural covariation in the human brain.

1 Nov 2024

Kainate Receptors: A Potential Target for Novel Cerebellar Therapies

The Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a collaborative center of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is leading a study in Tokyo, Japan, in conjunction with Keio University, which highlights the critical role one of the glutamate receptors plays in the proper functioning of the cerebellum's synapses.

11 Jul 2024

New Model Unveils Synaptic Mechanisms in Neurological Diseases

Newly released research from Colorado State University provides basic answers to questions regarding brain cellular connectivity that may be helpful in the development of therapies for neurological conditions like schizophrenia, epilepsy, and autism.

27 Jun 2024

Fruit Fly Motor Circuitry Revealed Through Advanced Mapping Techniques

Work is underway on a wiring diagram of the motor circuits in the central nervous system that control muscles in fruit flies.

27 Jun 2024

New Platform Enables Ultra-Detailed Imaging of Human Brain Tissue

Researchers reveal that a novel technology allows for the simultaneous capture at many scales of neuronal projection, synapse distribution, cellular architecture, and protein expression in large-scale human brain tissues.

14 Jun 2024

Unraveling the Mysteries of Neuronal Communication Circuits

The basic building blocks of the central nervous system are neurons, or nerve cells, which play a crucial role in signal transduction pathways.

3 Apr 2024

Key Insights into LAR-RPTP's Synaptic Regulation via Microexon Molecular Codes

The Synapse Diversity and Specificity Regulation Research Team (Director: Jaewon Ko) at DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) reported on Tuesday the 27th that they have profiled the molecular code that constitutes brain neural circuits and discovered that it regulates specific excitatory synapse characteristics that contribute to memory of new object locations.

30 Mar 2024

Researchers Unveil a Key Gene with a Central Role in Learning and Memory Across Mammalian Brain Cells

Discoveries in mice could guide the quest for treatments aimed at addressing brain developmental disorders in children with SYNGAP1 gene mutations.

1 Mar 2024

The critical role of saturated fats in memory consolidation

University of Queensland researchers have uncovered the critical role that saturated fats play in the brain's memory consolidation process.

7 Feb 2024

Investigating the Synaptic Imbalance in Retinal Nerve Cells

The processing of visual information is significantly influenced by the surroundings of retinal nerve cells.

6 Feb 2024

New Cell Model Paves Way for Faster Treatments for Neuromuscular Diseases

Scientists have so far identified around 800 different neuromuscular diseases. These conditions are caused by problems in the way muscle cells, motor neurons and peripheral cells interact.

20 Dec 2023

Role of Inhibitory Interneurons in Memory Expression

Memory, a crucial aspect of human survival, is intricately connected to how humans encode, retrieve, and react to external stimuli.

9 Nov 2023

Dendritic Cells Reprogram Their Genes to Enhance Immune Response

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), under the leadership of Professor Francisco Sánchez-Madrid, have discovered that dendritic cells, responsible for triggering targeted immune responses, possess the ability to modify their genes in order to enhance their immune reactivity.

6 Nov 2023