October 2, 2024 by Stanford University Medical Center Most neurons in the human brain last a lifetime, and for good reason. Intricate, long-term information is preserved in the complex structural relationships between their synapses. To lose the neurons would be to lose that critical information—that is, to forget. Intriguingly, some new neurons are still produced...
Tag: <span>Neurons</span>
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Brain goop that traps hunger neurons drives obesity
A mechanism for metabolic disease is traced to a defective cellular scaffolding that holds together the brain’s hunger cells. By Max Kozlov Neurons (artist’s illustration) that affect hunger lose their ability to sense insulin when encased by a sticky scaffolding.Credit: KTSDesign/Science Photo Library A build-up of sticky goo that traps neurons in an appetite-control centre...
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The brain’s state of attention is shaped by a handful of neurons, study shows
September 16, 2024 by University of Geneva Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) play a key role in the transition from a focused to an alert state. The image shows these neurons in a mouse brain, revealed by immunohistochemical staining. Credit: UNIGE / ETH ZurichWhat enables the brain to go from intense concentration to...
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Concept neurons are the building blocks of memory
News Release 11-Sep-2024 Bonn researchers clarify the function of specialized nerve cells in memory formation Peer-Reviewed PublicationUniversitatsklinikum Bonn Certain nerve cells in the brain become active whenever they are confronted with different images or the name of a specific person or the identity of an object. They are highly selective and do not react to...
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Key mechanisms identified for regeneration of neurons
by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Neurological disorders, such as trauma, stroke, epilepsy, and various neurodegenerative diseases, often lead to the permanent loss of neurons, causing significant impairments in brain function. Current treatment options are limited, primarily due to the challenge of replacing lost neurons. Direct neuronal reprogramming, a complex procedure...
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New Microscopy Tool Captures Data From 1 Million Neurons Simultaneously
Light-beads microscopy has enabled a 100-fold increase in the number of neurons that can be simultaneously recorded. The mammalian brain is a web of densely interconnected neurons, yet one of the mysteries in neuroscience is how tools that capture relatively few components of brain activity have allowed scientists to predict behavior in mice. It is...
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Neurons help flush waste out of brain during sleep
Findings could lead to new approaches for Alzheimer’s, other neurological conditions by Marta Wegorzewska GETTY IMAGESResearchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that brain cell activity during sleep is responsible for propelling fluid into, through and out of the brain, cleaning it of debris. There lies a paradox in sleep....
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Wi-Fi for neurons: first map of wireless nerve signals unveiled in worms
Claudia López Lloreda The worm Caenorhabditis elegans has 302 neurons (green) that researchers can study using tools such as fluorescent markers. Credit: Heiti Paves/Science Photo Library The idea that the nervous system passes messages from one nerve cell to another only through synapses — the points where the cells link up end to end —...
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SARS-CoV-2 virus found to migrate within neurons and infect the brain
by Pasteur Institute Clinical profile of hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 original virus (Wuhan), the recombinant Wuhan/ΔORF7ab or the variants of concern (VoC) Gamma, Delta, and Omicron/BA.1. A, B Body weight variation over four days post-infection. C Lung weight measured at 4 dpi. D, E Clinical score over four days post-infection. The clinical score is based on...
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New biomarker predicts whether neurons will regenerate
by University of California – San Diego Neurons, shown here in red and yellow, are some of the slowest cells to regenerate after injury. In this section of a mouse brain, yellow neurons are regenerating while red neurons are non-regenerating. Credit: UC San Diego Health SciencesNeurons, the main cells that make up our brain and spinal...