The human brain’s adaptability to internal and external changes, known as neural plasticity, forms the foundation for understanding cognitive functions like memory and learning, as well as various neurological disorders.
Tag: Brain Disorders
Fundamental understanding of a molecule‘s normal function could inform treatments for a variety of brain disorders
John Chappell, a cardiovascular scientist in the Center for Vascular and Heart Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
NIH funds study of ultrasound with genetics to treat brain disorders
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.
Boosting certain brain cells diminished hypersensitivity in Fragile X mice
Study suggests modulating the activity of certain neurons could be an effective approach to restoring circuit function.
Mount Sinai Launches Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Institute, including three new centers, will lead research to foster novel discoveries and explore new treatments for a range of diseases from leukemia to Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain Changes in Autism Are Far More Sweeping Than Previously Known
The new study finds brain-wide changes in virtually all of the 11 cortical regions analyzed, regardless of whether they are higher critical association regions – those involved in functions such as reasoning, language, social cognition and mental flexibility – or primary sensory regions.
Researchers test hybrid, soft/hard nanocarriers to deliver drugs to the brain
Researchers are working to develop nanocarriers that deliver drugs across the blood brain barrier. Successful nanocarriers could lead to treatments for brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ischemic stroke, epilepsy and seizures.
Tufts University Researchers Discover New Function Performed by Nearly Half of Brain Cells
Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a previously unknown function performed by a type of cell that comprises nearly half of all cells in the brain.
The scientists say this discovery in mice of a new function by cells known as astrocytes opens a whole new direction for neuroscience research that might one day lead to treatments for many disorders ranging from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s to traumatic brain injury.
Unraveling the origin of Alzheimer’s disease
Case Western Reserve University researchers studying prions—misfolded proteins that cause lethal incurable diseases—have identified for the first time surface features of human prions responsible for their replication in the brain.
What’s It All About? Alfy and Aggregates: A Free Webinar from the Hereditary Disease Foundation
The Hereditary Disease Foundation is hosting a free webinar “What’s It All About? Alfy and Aggregates” on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, from 12pm to 1pm ET. Dr. Ai Yamamoto, associate professor in the departments of Neurology and of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and recipient of the 2020 Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science, will be the keynote speaker.
New study provides insights into architecture of abnormal protein deposits in brain disorders
Scientists at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have determined the structure of protein “fibrils” linked to Lou Gehrig’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders—findings that provide clues to how toxic proteins clump and spread between nerve cells in the brain.
Researchers discover lack of a protein could be the key to Alzheimer’s disease
A lack of a protein in the brain that keeps our tissues healthy as we age is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to recent research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
Dopamine Surge Reveals How Even for Mice, ‘There’s No Place Like Home’
“There’s no place like home,” has its roots deep in the brain. Using fiber photometry, scientists are the first to show that home evokes a surge of dopamine in mice that mimics the response to a dose of cocaine. The study demonstrates how dopamine rises rapidly in mice moved from a simple recording chamber to their home cage, but less so when they return to a cage not quite like the one they knew.
Researcher leads $ 3.8 million project to map developing mice brains
A grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow a Penn State College of Medicine researcher to lead a three-year, multi-institution project to create an atlas of developing mice brains.