by Li Yuan, Chinese Academy of Sciences SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids, as shown by researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). Their study was published in Cell Research on August 4....
Tag: <span>Neurons</span>
Researchers study brain activity in stages of alertness at the neuronal level
by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Visual information detected in the eye, is passed to the visual thalamus – a complex sub-cortical structure that regulates information transmission from the sensory organs to sensory areas of the cortex – and on to the primary visual cortex. Researchers know that layer 6, the deepest cortical layer,...
Probe detects the destruction of defective mitochondria
by RIKEN Figure 1: Colored transmission electron micrograph of a single mitochondrion in a human pancreas cell. RIKEN researchers have developed a fluorescent probe that can detect the programmed death of defective mitochondria in the lysosomes. Credit: K.R. PORTER/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY A versatile probe that can detect with pinpoint accuracy the programmed destruction of...
Key gene identified for improving multiple sclerosis treatment
by Karolinska Institutet The disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the central nervous system and, with time, can give rise to muscle tremors and loss of balance. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now identified a gene, Gsta4, that protects a certain kind of cell in the brain from being destroyed. It is hoped that the results...
CU researcher: Non-hormonal treatment for menopausal symptoms offers hope of relief
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS AURORA, Colo. (Aug. 6, 2020) – A non-hormonal therapy to treat hot flashes and other symptoms associated with menopause was found to be effective in a recent clinical trial, according to a published study by a team of researchers including faculty from the University of Colorado School of Medicine....
REM sleep tunes eating behaviour
by University of Bern Using a technique called optogenetics, the activity of cells in the brain can be specifically suppressed with light pulses. Credit: Pascal Gugler / Insel Gruppe Despite our broad understanding of the different brain regions activated during rapid-eye-movement sleep, little is known about what this activity serves for. Researchers at the University...
Implanted neural stem cell grafts show functionality in spinal cord injuries
by University of California – San Diego Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cultured human neuron. Credit: Thomas Deerinck, UC San Diego National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Using stem cells to restore lost functions due to spinal cord injury (SCI) has long been an ambition of scientists and doctors. Nearly 18,000 people in the...
Researchers discover stem cells in the optic nerve that enable preservation of vision
by Deborah Kotz, University of Maryland School of Medicine Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have for the first time identified stem cells in the region of the optic nerve, which transmits signals from the eye to the brain. The finding, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National...
How the brain senses smell
The study published in Nature identifies the mechanism used by our brain to distinguish smells. The research was conducted by IIT and Harvard University and may have an impact on the creation of the artificial sense of smell in robots ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA – IIT Rovereto, Italy, 29th July 2020 – An Italian-American research...
Neurons are genetically programmed to have long lives
When our neurons — the principal cells of the brain — die, so do we. Most neurons are created during embryonic development and have no “backup” after birth. Researchers have generally believed that their survival is determined nearly extrinsically, or by outside forces, such as the tissues and cells that neurons supply with nerve cells....