Central Nervous System News and Research

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Researchers Highlight Crucial Contributions of Astrocytes to Mental Health

The health and function of the brain depend on astrocytes, which are essential cells in the central nervous system. According to recent research, they affect behaviors and higher cognitive functions by controlling local neuronal activity.

22 Apr 2024

Cell's Garbage Disposal May Also Send Sensory Signals Beyond Recycling

The proteasome, the cell's garbage disposal mechanism, usually breaks down proteins into smaller pieces and recycles some of the pieces.

15 Apr 2024

Unraveling the Mysteries of Neuronal Communication Circuits

The basic building blocks of the central nervous system are neurons, or nerve cells, which play a crucial role in signal transduction pathways.

3 Apr 2024

Rare YKT6 Gene Variants Linked to New Neurological Disorder

A recent collaborative study has discovered rare variants in the YKT6 gene as the cause of a new neurological disorder characterized by developmental delays along with severe progressive liver disease and a potential risk for liver cancer.

2 Apr 2024

New Study Sheds Light on Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Aging

The central nervous system requires a tightly controlled environment for the neurons in the brain to function properly and be able to process information. The blood-brain barrier, which is maintained by specific brain endothelial cells lining blood vessel inner walls, controls the exchange of chemicals between the neurological and circulatory systems.

25 Mar 2024

Non-Immune Cells Form Memory, Boosts Inflammatory Response

An essential component of adaptive immunity is immunological memory, which is the capacity to react to a foreign material or antigen more quickly and intensely when exposed again.

21 Mar 2024

New Biomarker Offers Early Detection of ALS and FTD

Two progressively degenerative diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD, recently in the news with the diagnoses of actor Bruce Willis and talk show host Wendy Williams), are linked by more than the fact that they both damage nerve cells critical to normal functioning -; the former affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord leading to loss of movement, the latter eroding the brain regions controlling personality, behavior and language.

19 Mar 2024

Discovery of Crym-Positive Astrocytes Sheds Light on Neuropsychiatric Disorders

UCLA Health researchers have discovered a group of specialized support cells in the brain that can regulate behaviors associated with human neuropsychiatric disorders.

1 Mar 2024

Scientists Develop First Full Model of Early Human Central Nervous System with Stem Cells

The first stem cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system has been developed by a team of engineers and biologists at the University of Michigan, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the University of Pennsylvania.

27 Feb 2024

Breaking Down the Complex Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration

By using a novel neuronal cell culture model, researchers at the University of Zurich have illuminated the complex mechanisms behind neurodegeneration.

23 Feb 2024

The Role of Ancient Retroviruses in Vertebrate Brain Evolution

According to a study published in the journal Cell, ancient viruses may have contributed to the development of myelin and, consequently, the large, complex brains.

16 Feb 2024

The Intricate Network of Stick Insects’ Leg Muscles

Researchers at the University of Cologne have discovered new details on the process underlying the stick insect’s leg muscles’ rhythmic activation of nerve cells, or neurons. Unlike the neurons in the other leg muscles, the researchers demonstrated that the neurons in the leg depressor muscle are activated rhythmically.

12 Feb 2024

GWAS Identifies Key Genetic Factors for Lassa Fever Susceptibility and Severity

While combing through the human genome in 2007, computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti made a discovery that would transform her research career.

9 Feb 2024

Stem Cell-Derived Brain Organoids on Ax-3 Mission Seek to Improve Modeling for Neurodegenerative Diseases

More than 5 million people worldwide are living with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

19 Jan 2024

EBV-Targeting T-Cells Linked to Early MS Damage

The body's immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play a role in causing damage in people with multiple sclerosis, according to a new study led by UTHealth Houston.

12 Jan 2024

AI-Powered Drug Breakthrough: Insilico Unveils Potent FGFR2/3 Inhibitor for Solid Tumors

Insilico Medicine, a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven clinical-stage drug discovery company, today announced the nomination of ISM8001, a novel molecule targeting FGFR2/3 for the treatment of tissue-agnostic solid tumors bringing the total number of PCCs nominated in 2023 to six.

29 Dec 2023

Teneurin-3: Protein That Helps for Circadian Rhythm Stability in Mice

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered a protein in mice’s visual systems that seems to be essential for regulating the body’s circadian rhythms by reducing the brain’s sensitivity to light.

29 Dec 2023