The results of a new study show that many of the genes expressed by microglia differ between humans and mice, which are frequently used as animal models in research on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Microglia are the primary immune cells of the central nervous system, with functions similar to those of white blood...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Nerve fibers regenerated with molecular mix
Scientists may have found a way to regrow axons – a crucial part of a neuron also known as a nerve fiber – after injury. The findings may help patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, or other neurodegenerative conditions recover their motor skills. A team of researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts have developed...
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Scientists use magnetic fields to remotely stimulate brain — and control body movements
The minimally invasive technique could lead to advances in mapping the brain and treating neurological disease Scientists have used magnetic nanoparticles to stimulate neurons deep in the brain to evoke body movements of mice. This image shows a section of a mouse brain with injected magnetic nanoparticles (colored red) covering targeted cells in the striatum....
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Telemedicine as effective as in-person care for Parkinson’s disease
New findings from a nationwide program that links neurologists with patients with Parkinson’s disease in their homes via video conferencing shows that telemedicine can successfully deliver quality care. The study, which appears today in the journal Neurology, points to a new way to improve care for people who suffer from the disease, but may have not...
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Alzheimer’s: Low serotonin levels may drive development
Could Alzheimer’s disease be caused by low levels of serotonin, the brain chemical known to affect mood and sleep? New research investigates. It is not yet known what causes Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers are hard at work trying to unravel the neurological, molecular, and genetic underpinnings of the disease. One of the hypotheses put forth so...
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Cooling helmet, supplement show potential as concussion healers
A brain cooling device and an oral supplement made from pine bark extract both have potential to expedite concussion recovery, according to two new studies by Penn State researchers. “Currently there are no clinically validated tools or procedures to treat concussive injury,” said Semyon Slobounov, professor of kinesiology and an author of the studies. “The results...
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Which research results in mice will help humans with multiple sclerosis? Now there’s a way to tell
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) know all too well the frustration of hearing that success in treating the disease in mice had little or no effect in humans. Unfortunately, with no large animal models for MS, results that suggest promising new treatments in mice often are ineffective in humans. Now, University at Buffalo researchers have...
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Will ketamine treat your depression? Check your activity monitor
During a depressive episode, people often report having reduced energy, feeling slowed down and having reduced interest in activities. As their mood lifts, energy and activity return to their usual levels. A new study in Biological Psychiatry reports altered measures of daily activity in patients whose depressive symptoms improved in response to the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine. The...
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New kinds of brain cells revealed
Under a microscope, it can be hard to tell the difference between any two neurons, the brain cells that store and process information. So scientists have turned to molecular methods to try to identify groups of neurons with different functions. Now, Salk Institute and University of California San Diego scientists have, for the first time,...
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Dendritic Golgi as key cause of degenerative brain disease
Korean researchers have identified the early neuropathic mechanism of degenerative brain diseases A joint research team of DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) have identified the early neuropathic mechanism of polyglutamine brain disease, one of the representative degenerative brain diseases, and suggested a way to restore. It is expected to accelerate the development...