University of Houston researcher examines the link UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON A University of Houston chemist is exploring the link between copper protein molecules in brain cells and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. “Scientists have studied Alzheimer’s disease for 100 years and still no one knows the cause,” said assistant professor of chemistry Tai-Yen Chen, who will...
Tag: <span>neurodegenerative diseases</span>
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Optogenetics in Cellular Biology and Human Disease Models
By Clare Knight, B.Sc.Reviewed by Dr. Liji Thomas, MD What is Optogenetics?Optogenetics is a combination of the manipulation of genes and optics in living tissues. This technique uses light-responsive proteins called opsins. This allows scientists to switch selective neurons on or off precisely and selectively. The involvement of these proteins within cultured cells of the...
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Beyond finding a gene: Same repeated stretch of DNA found in three neurodegenerative diseases
by University of Tokyo Four rare diseases are characterized by similar symptoms of neurodegeneration. Patients with three of the diseases — fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) and oculopharyngeal myopathy with leukoencephalopathy (OPML) — have similar MRI brain scan images. Patients with a fourth disease, oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM), have normal brain scans, but their muscle tissue has a...
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Detecting dementia’s damaging effects before it’s too late
By studying a rare form of dementia, researchers might have found a way to detect neurodegeneration before brain cells are lost for good. Earlier detection could provide therapeutic drug treatments a chance to work. Scientists might have found an early detection method for some forms of dementia, according to new research by the University of Arizona and...
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Examining the Long-term Effects of Concussion in Sport
What do we currently know about the long-termeffects of concussions obtained through sport? In short, the answer is ‘very little’. While we may recognize the short-term symptoms of a concussion, not much is known about the long-termimpact of both concussions and sub-concussive head impacts (for example, when heading a football). Recent years have seen this topic brought into the public eye,...
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Circadian clock plays unexpected role in neurodegenerative diseases
by Northwestern University While your body might bemoan the many uncomfortable effects of jet lag, your brain may be thanking you for that cross-time zone travel. In a new study, Northwestern University researchers induced jet lag in a fruit fly model of Huntington disease and found that jet lag protected the flies’ neurons. The team then...
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Teaching human cells to clean house to delay ageing and fight neurodegeneration
Monash researchers have unlocked a key process in all human cells that contributes to diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative diseases as well as ageing. The discovery reveals how cells efficiently get rid of cellular junk, which when it accumulates, can trigger death and the health problems associated with getting older. IMAGE: THE IMAGE SHOWS CELLS...
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Exploration of umbelliferone based derivatives as potent MAO inhibitors
This article by Dr. Anurag Khatkar et al. is published in Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2018. BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors are potential drug candidates for treating neurological disorders such as anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This review presents information about MAO inhibitory effects of the umbelliferone based derivatives. The potential antioxidant effects of the derivatives were evaluated by DPPH...
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Using graphene to detect ALS, other neurodegenerative diseases
The wonders of graphene are numerous — it can enable flexible electronic components, enhance solar cell capacity, filter the finest subatomic particles and revolutionize batteries. Now, the “supermaterial” may one day be used to test for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which is diagnosed mostly by ruling out other disorders,...
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HKBU scholars invent medical device for safe growth of neural stem cells
A research team of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has invented a medical device with a specific nanotechnology layer for the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. Compared with traditional methods, the team’s novel matrix can reduce the risk of carcinogenesis or inflammation in stem cell therapy—a treatment that offers hope of a...