brain cells
Researchers find new mechanism behind the formation and maintenance of long-term memories
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that lactate, a type of energy fuel in the brain, plays a critical role in the formation of long-term memory. These findings have important implications for common illnesses like Alzheimer’s…
Researchers have found how brain cells control their movement to form the cerebral cortex
A study led by Academy Research Fellow Eleanor Coffey identifies new players that put the brakes on. They show in mice that lack the star player “JNK1”, that newborn neurons spend less time in the multipolar stage, which is when the cells prepare fo…
Scripps Research compound blocks brain cell destruction in Parkinson’s disease
JUPITER, FL, February 11, 2011 — Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have produced the first known compound to show significant effectiveness in protecting brain cells directly affected by Parkinson’s disease, a pr…
Scripps Research scientists convert skin cells to beating heart cells
LA JOLLA, CA — Scripps Research Institute scientists have converted adult skin cells directly into beating heart cells efficiently without having to first go through the laborious process of generating embryonic-like stem cells. The powerful gener…
New UCLA-designed microscope records firing of thousands of individual neurons in 3-D
Some disorders of the brain are obvious — the massive death of brain cells after a stroke, the explosion in the growth of cells that marks a tumor. Other disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and mental retardation show no physical signs of da…
Feast or famine: Researchers identify leptin receptor’s sidekick as a target for appetite regulation
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida and Washington University School of Medicine adds a new twist to the body of evidence suggesting human obesity is due in part to genetic factors. While studying hormon…
MIT researchers study the danger of toxoplasma parasites
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — About one-third of the human population is infected with a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, but most of them don’t know it. Though Toxoplasma causes no symptoms in most people, it can be harmful to individuals with suppressed …
Genetic trait could triple odds of whites’ susceptibility to heavy cocaine abuse
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nearly one in five whites could carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse, according to new research.
This genetic variant, characterized by one or both of two…
Study suggests earliest brain changes associated with the genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease
GLENDALE, Arizona (November 30, 2010) — What are the earliest brain changes associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease? A scientific report published in the October Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease finds reduced activity of an energy-…
Gene therapy prevents memory problems in mice with Alzheimer’s disease
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — November 21, 2010 —
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Humans with AD …
