Brown University researchers have uncovered new clues about the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a surprisingly common disease that causes the death of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles such as those involved in walking, talking, chewing or breathing. A team led by Anne Hart, a professor of neuroscience at Brown, discovered that two...
Tag: <span>Neurons</span>
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Study provides an early recipe for rewiring spinal cords
NIH-funded preclinical results suggest returning nerve cells to a younger state could aid in repair NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE For many years, researchers have thought that the scar that forms after a spinal cord injury actively prevents damaged neurons from regrowing. In a study of rodents, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health showed they...
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Protein droplets keep neurons at the ready and immune system in balance
HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE Inside cells, where DNA is packed tightly in the nucleus and rigid proteins keep intricate transport systems on track, some molecules have a simpler way of establishing order. They can self-organize, find one another in crowded spaces, and quickly coalesce into droplets – like oil in water. IMAGE: IN THIS 3-D RECONSTRUCTION,...
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Surprise finding in neurons
UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG Purkinje cells are a central part of the human cerebellum, the part of the brain that plays an important role in motor learning, fine motor control of the muscle, equilibrium and posture but also influences emotions, perception, memory and language. IMAGE: IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE IMAGE FROM THE CEREBELLAR CORTEX REGION OF BIPOLAR PATIENTS THAT SHOWS...
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Study provides insight into how dying neurons control eating behaviors of the brain microglia
July 23, 2018, The Mount Sinai Hospital A new Mount Sinai study, published July 23 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provides important insight into how microglia, cells that form a branch of the immune system inside the brain, go about their job of clearing out dying and non-functional neurons—and how they sometimes mistakenly attack healthy neurons, an...
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“Mind-boggling” Stanford research turns human blood cells into functional neurons
In breakthrough new research described as “somewhat mind-boggling,” a team at Stanford University has developed a technique than can transform human immune cells found in a regular blood sample into functional neurons in just three weeks. Transforming human immune cells found in a regular blood sample into functional neurons will allow for clearer laboratory study into...
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‘Second brain’ neurons keep colon moving
Millions of neurons in the gastrointestinal tract coordinate their activity to generate the muscle contractions that propel waste through the last leg of the digestive system, according to a study of isolated mouse colons published in JNeurosci. The newly identified neuronal firing pattern may represent an early feature preserved through the evolution of nervous systems. The...
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Holographic Laser Activates Groups of Brain Neurons
At the University of California, Berkeley neuroscientists are engaged in activities normally reserved for sci-fi books. They’re using holographic projectors to control the activity of entire groups of neurons at the same time. Though there’s certainly room for abuse, the therapeutic and scientific potential for being able to manipulate the brain in a detailed fashion...
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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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Sympathetic nervous system key to Thermogenesis, new study suggests
The sympathetic nervous system, not white blood cells, is critically important in the regulation of energy expenditure and thermogenesis, researchers reveal in a new report. Researchers had previously hypothesized that macrophages, a class of White blood cells, played a major role in thermogenesis, however the new study suggests that the main driver of thermogenesis is...