Sponsored Content by Axol Bioscience Ltd Characteristics of Human Astrocytes Astrocytes, also known as astroglia, are characterized by their star-like shape and are the most abundant cell type in the brain. They have important roles in the blood-brain barrier function and in synaptic activity, and are closely linked to neurons. The study of astrocytes using in vitro co-culture models is becoming more important...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
Post
Does migraine leave your head spinning? Noninvasive treatment shows early promise
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY MINNEAPOLIS – There may be some good news for people with vestibular migraine, a type of migraine that causes vertigo and dizziness with or without headache pain. A small, preliminary study suggests that non-invasive nerve stimulation may show promise as a treatment for vestibular migraine attacks, a condition for which there...
Post
Low blood pressure could be a culprit in dementia, studies suggest
by Kenneth McLeod, The Conversation Decline in brain function often occurs as people age. People often worry that declining brain function is an inevitable part of growing old and will lead to dementia, but it is not. Many people do not experience age-related cognitive decline. Clinical studies that have followed older individuals over many years have consistently...
Post
Study Reveals Sex-Based Differences in the Development of Brain Hubs Involved in Memory and Emotion
Findings may help researchers understand why mental disorders present differently in males and females during adolescence October 2, 2019 • Press Release Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, have uncovered sex-based differences in the development of the hippocampus and amygdala. These brain areas have been implicated in the biology of several mental...
Post
Study shows MRI can help remove DOUBT when diagnosing minor strokes
by University of Calgary A University of Calgary-led international study is highlighting the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in helping to diagnose minor stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). The six-year study, which included researchers from hospitals in Canada, Australia and the Czech Republic, involved 1028 patients who experienced a number of symptoms that...
Post
Synchronized or independent neurons: This is how the brain encodes information
by International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA) “Like a book in which the single pages are not all different but carry small portions of common text, or like a group of people who whistle a very similar tune”: this is how our brain cells work, say scientists. It is the phenomenon of “co-relation,” in which...
Post
A better MRI marker for disability progression in multiple sclerosis
by Ellen Goldbaum, University at Buffalo A retrospective, five-year study of 1,314 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has found that atrophied brain lesion volume is the only marker from MRI scans that can accurately predict which patients will progress to the most severe form of the disease. Secondary progressive MS, known as SPMS, typically appears...
Post
Blood-brain barrier damage occurs even with mild head trauma — Ben-Gurion U study
AMERICAN ASSOCIATES, BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL…September 25, 2019 – In a new study of adolescent and adult athletes, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Stanford University and Trinity College in Dublin have found evidence of damage to the brain’s protective barrier, without a reported concussion. For the first time, the researchers were able to detect damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain from...
Post
Two Studies Fail to Replicate Magnetogenetics Research
Several recent studies in high-profile journals reported to have genetically engineered neurons to become responsive to magnetic fields. In doing so, the authors could remotely control the activity of particular neurons in the brain, and even animal behavior—promising huge advances in neuroscientific research and speculation for applications even in medicine. “We envision a new age...
Post
To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight
A brain circuit that suppresses distracting sensory information holds important clues about attention and other cognitive processes. We can pick out a conversation in a loud room, amid the rise and fall of other voices or the hum of an air conditioner. We can spot a set of keys in a sea of clutter, or...