Postdoctoral researcher Ting-Ting Du, left, led the research in the lab of Neuroscientist Jung-Bum Shin, right, that explores the role of the inner ear’s cuticular plate in hearing loss. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a new potential contributor to age-related hearing loss, a finding that could eventually help doctors...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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Eating mushrooms may reduce the risk of cognitive decline
A six-year study, led by Assistant Professor Lei Feng (left) from the National University of Singapore, found that seniors who ate more than 300 grams of cooked mushrooms a week were half as likely to have mild cognitive impairment. Dr Irwin Cheah (right) is a member of the research team. Credit: National University of Singapore A team from the...
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Electrically syncing up brain regions improves depression in first-of-its-kind study
In a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, a new kind of non-invasive electrical brain stimulation has been trialed in patients with major depression. The results show this new technique to be extraordinarily promising in reducing depressive symptoms, with larger trials set to explore this novel treatment...
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Researchers explore link between metal exposure and Parkinson’s symptoms
A new study from Iowa State University biomedical researchers illuminates the biological processes by which exposure to some metals can contribute to the onset of Parkinson’s-like symptoms. The study, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Science Signaling, focuses on the metal manganese, which has a range of industrial uses as an alloy. Anumantha Kanthasamy, a...
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Study reveals differences in brain activity in children with anhedonia
Researchers have identified changes in brain connectivity and brain activity during rest and reward anticipation in children with anhedonia, a condition where people lose interest and pleasure in activities they used to enjoy. The study, by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on...
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New approach to stroke treatment could minimize brain damage
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA A new treatment for a common type of stroke may soon be possible, thanks to a discovery by an international team of researchers led by the University of British Columbia. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers successfully used a new approach that significantly minimized brain damage caused by stroke in mouse models. The new approach works by targeting hemichannels–pathways that allow for...
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An impaired sense of smell can signal cognitive decline, but ‘smell training’ could help
As we age, we often have problems with our ability to smell (called olfactory dysfunction). Older people might not be able to identify an odour or differentiate one odour from another. In some cases they might not be able to detect an odour at all. Odour identification difficulties are common in people with neurodegenerative diseases,...
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SHANK3: the good, the bad and the hopeful
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron or nerve cell to communicate with another neuron. Absence of or certain changes in gene SHANK3 disrupt neuron-neuron communication and lead to Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Credit: National Institute on Aging, NIH. Some neuropsychiatric conditions may boil down to how well brain cells communicate...
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Identification of potential target protein aggregates for treating Alzheimer’s
The aggregation of alpha-synuclein proteins in Parkinson’s disease and tau proteins in Alzheimer’s disease is intimately linked to the progression of these neurodegenerative diseases. These aggregates propagate from one neuronal cell to another, attaching themselves to the cells. They multiply during this propagation. It has already been shown that the propagation and amplification of these...
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Scientists report new modeling of brain signaling
The release of neurotransmitters and hormones in the body is tightly controlled by complex protein machinery embedded in cell membranes. Manipulating that machinery with drugs could improve treatment of disorders ranging from diabetes to Parkinson’s disease. Progress has been slow, however, because of the lack of an animal model to test the effects of potential...