Scientists have identified the molecular mechanism that leads to the death of neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or motor neurone disease) and a common form of frontotemporal dementia. The researchers from the University of Cambridge and University of Toronto also identify potential therapeutic targets for these currently incurable diseases. ALS is a progressive and terminal disease...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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Neuroscientists use magnetic stimulation to amplify PTSD therapy
Dr. Michael Motes (left) and Dr. John Hart Jr., along with other researchers at UT Dallas, discovered that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation boosted the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas have found that a standard therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more effective...
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Brain scans may help diagnose neurological, psychiatric disorders
Brain networks from nine people were analyzed to generate the heat map above, which shows the areas that change the most (red) to the least (green), from person to person. A new study shows that individual brain networks are remarkably. There are no laboratory tests to diagnose migraines, depression, bipolar disorder and many other ailments...
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Researchers find the brain processes sight and sound in same manner
Although sight is a much different sense than sound, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientists have found that the human brain learns to make sense of these stimuli in the same way. The researchers say in a two-step process, neurons in one area of the brain learn the representation of the stimuli, and another area categorizes...
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Reversing brain injury in newborns and adults
Children and adults diagnosed with brain conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and dementia may be one step closer to obtaining new treatments that could help to restore normal function. Researchers at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, have identified a new molecule within the brain’s white matter that blocks the organ’s ability to repair itself...
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‘Striosome’ neurons in the basal ganglia play a key role in learning
A pleasant surprise or a nasty shock is likely to be a memorable experience. For instance, if you touch a hot oven, you very quickly learn not to do it again. IMAGE: THIS IS A MICROSCOPIC IMAGE OF THE STRIATUM, SHOWING THE MOSAIC-LIKE ORGANIZATION OF THE STRIOSOME AND THE MATRIX. Learning by trial-and-error, which can yield...
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Discovery sheds new light on how neurodegenerative diseases might occur
Neuronal synapse. Credit: University of Leicester Researchers from the University of Leicester have shed new light on how neurons in the brain communicate with one another. This could potentially help in our understanding of how and why a range of neurodegenerative diseases occur. The team, led by Dr Joern Steinert from the MRC Toxicology Unit...
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Large-scale study links PCOS to mental health disorders
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common hormone condition among young women, are prone to mental health disorders, and their children face an increased risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. PCOS...
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Scientists fix genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in human brain cells
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Using human brain cells, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered the cause of—and a potential solution for—the primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, a gene called apoE4. Having one copy of the apoE4 gene more than doubles a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and...
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Repairing a leaky blood-brain barrier in epilepsy
The representative immunostaining for MMP-2 (left), MMP-9 (middle) and the negative control (right; overlay of green, blue and transmitted light channels) in isolated rat brain capillaries. MMPs are shown in green; nuclei were …more Blocking the activity of an enzyme that has a key role in the generation of recurring seizures may provide a new...