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Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Differences in Fetal and Adult Muscle Receptors

The connections between the nervous system and muscles develop differently across the kingdom of life. It takes newborn humans roughly a year to develop the proper muscular systems that support the ability to walk, while cows can walk mere minutes after birth and run not long after.

1 Aug 2024

New Model Reveals Underlying Similarity in Mammalian Brain Shapes

A novel method for characterizing the cerebral cortex's shape has been devised by researchers, who also present evidence that cortices in all mammalian species share a common, fractal design.

31 Jul 2024

Rapid Parkinson's Model Opens Door to Personalized Treatments

Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a key member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, have created a model that swiftly transforms stem cells into brain cells exhibiting protein structures associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

30 Jul 2024

Injectable Therapy Using 'Dancing Molecules' Promises New Hope for Cartilage Repair

In November 2021, Northwestern University researchers introduced an injectable new therapy, which harnessed fast-moving "dancing molecules," to repair tissues and reverse paralysis after severe spinal cord injuries.

29 Jul 2024

Innovative Model Creates Personalized Parkinson's Disease Brain Cells for Drug Testing

A new model developed by Brigham researchers rapidly converts stem cells to brain cells characteristic of Parkinson’s disease to create personalized stem cell models with opportunities to test treatments

29 Jul 2024

New Insights into the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Infant Attachment

Specific neurons in the brain's zona incerta (ZI) play a crucial role in the early social interactions of an infant and its mother, building their bond and reducing stress, according to a new study in mice. Activation of the same neurons in adult mice increased anxiety- and fear-like responses, the study showed.

26 Jul 2024

Oligodendrocytes as Producers of Amyloid Beta in Alzheimer's Disease

Oligodendrocytes are an important source of amyloid beta (Aβ) and play a key role in promoting neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study published July 23, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Rikesh Rajani and Marc Aurel Busche from the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, and colleagues.

24 Jul 2024

Neuropeptides Revealed as Key Messengers in Fear Response

Researchers at Salk developed techniques to examine neuropeptides, which are messenger proteins in the brain that regulate the fear response in mice.

23 Jul 2024

How an obesity gene influences brain function

A complex condition, obesity is brought on by a confluence of factors including behavior, diet, and heredity. Getting enough food to survive and thrive was a challenge for millennia.

16 Jul 2024

Scripps Research Unveils Brain Neurons That Control First Bite and Drinking Behavior

Do you grab a fork and take a first bite of cake, or say no and walk away? Our motivation to eat is driven by a complex web of cells in the brain that use signals from within the body, as well as sensory information about the food in front of us, to determine our behaviors.

12 Jul 2024

Key Brain Cells Discovered in Delaying First Bite of Food

Scientists at Scripps Research have pinpointed a group of neurons in the previously overlooked parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN) that govern the initiation of feeding behavior.

11 Jul 2024

Kainate Receptors: A Potential Target for Novel Cerebellar Therapies

The Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a collaborative center of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is leading a study in Tokyo, Japan, in conjunction with Keio University, which highlights the critical role one of the glutamate receptors plays in the proper functioning of the cerebellum's synapses.

11 Jul 2024