Serotonin, one of the major chemical messengers serving neuronal communication, is usually associated with the direct regulation of affective states and mood in general. But growing evidence suggests that one of the core functions of this neurotransmitter may be to facilitate our adaptation to changes in the world around us – which, in turn, may...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Vitamin D treatment during pregnancy prevents autism-related phenotypes in a mouse model of maternal immune activation
Abstract Background Prenatal exposure to infection is a recognized environmental risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders of developmental origins such as autism or schizophrenia. Experimental work in animals indicates that this link is mediated by maternal immune activation (MIA) involving interactions between cytokine-associated inflammatory events, oxidative stress, and other pathophysiological processes such as hypoferremia and zinc...
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Exercise helps prevent falls in Parkinson’s patients
Statistics show that 25 per cent of recently diagnosed patients suffered a fall in the first year. That came as a surprise to researchers. They had thought that falls tended to occur during later stages of the disease. Fetching the shopping bags out of the car, going up the stairs, finding the house keys, locating...
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Study shows stem cell therapy is safe for stroke patients; may aid recovery if given early
IMAGE: DR. DAVID C. HESS, STROKE SPECIALIST AND CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGY AT THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA AT AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY. AUGUSTA, Ga. (March 20, 2017) – A multicenter trial looking at whether a single dose of millions of adult, bone-marrow-derived stem cells can aid stroke recovery indicates it’s safe and well-tolerated by...
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New toxic pathway identified for protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disease
Led by professor Ludo Van Den Bosch (VIB-KU Leuven), scientists from Belgium, the UK and the US have identified new processes that form protein “clumps” that are characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). How these proteins, which can bind RNA in normal cells, stick together has remained elusive until recently,...
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Potential treatment for type of muscle and brain degenerative disease
In fruit flies modeled with IBMPFD disease, mitochondria (red circles) are severely disrupted. Treatment of VCP inhibitors in these diseased flies reversed mitochondrial damage (green circles). UCLA researchers have discovered the molecular basis of, and identified potential treatment for, an incurable disease known as inclusion body myopathy, Paget disease with frontotemporal dementia, or IBMPFD. Using...
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Researchers make major brain repair discovery in fight against Multiple Sclerosis
Many mature oligos. Queen’s University Belfast scientists have discovered that specific cells from the immune system are key players in brain repair — a fundamental breakthrough that could revolutionise the treatment of debilitating neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The research study, led by Dr Yvonne Dombrowski and Dr Denise Fitzgerald at the Wellcome-Wolfson...
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The researchers discovered an unexpected link between cancer and autism
SHANK regulates adhesion and protrusion in very different cell types: cancer cells and neurons. Image taken by Dr Guillaume Jacquemet reveals the distinct morphologies of neurons and cancer cells. On the right: Primary Rat hippocampal …more Researchers from Turku Centre for Biotechnology have observed that a protein called SHANK prevents the spread of breast cancer...
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Molecule discovery may lead to new drugs for brain and spinal cord injury
A new study reveals that a small molecule produced by a fungus may stimulate the regeneration of axons – the slender, “thread-like projections that carry electrical signals” between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The researchers believe that the discovery could lead to much needed new drugs that repair damage to the central...
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Your brain has 100 times more computing power than you thought: Groundbreaking study finds ten times more activity than expected
Study on dendrites found that they are not passive conduits as typically believed Instead, these components of neurons are electrically active in moving animals The brain was found to be 10 times more active than previously thought Large volume of dendrites means brain could have 100x the computing capacity Scientists have discovered that the brain...