Nervous System News and Research

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The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord.

Metastatic Lung Cancer Cells Cozy Up to Neurons and Form Synapses

Small cell lung cancer cells that metastasize to the brain cozy up to neurons and form working electrical connections, called synapses, according to an upcoming study led by Stanford Medicine researchers.

11 Sep 2025

New Method Discovers Genetic Switches More Quickly

Researchers led by Dubravka Vučićević at the Max Delbrück Center have developed a new method for discovering how DNA controls genes. Published in “Cell Genomics,” their technique can reveal the genetic “switches” that regulate important genes more quickly than existing methods.

10 Sep 2025

Researchers Uncover Toggle Switch Guiding Stem Cell Fate in Olfactory Neurons

Cellular differentiation of stem cells into specialized cells requires many steps, including division, to create more cells; fate determination, which is a commitment to a specific lineage or developmental path; and migration, to integrate the cell into its final location.

29 Aug 2025

New Molecules from the McMaster Greenhouse Target Drug-Resistant Fungi

A research team at McMaster University has discovered a new drug class that could someday lead to breakthrough treatments for dangerous fungal infections.

13 Aug 2025

Microglia Replacement Therapy Offers Hope for Genetic Disorders Affecting the Brain

Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, genetic disorders affecting the brain, have no effective treatment and are typically fatal within the first years of life.

7 Aug 2025

Gut Bacteria Breakthrough Could Help Fight Chronic Diseases

An international research team led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen has discovered a common gut bacterium that lowers body weight and blood sugar while increasing bone density.

1 Aug 2025

OHSU Team Identifies Gene Essential for Brain's Protective Layer

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a gene that is critical to the brain’s ability to form myelin, a protective layer around nerves, potentially leading to new treatments for an extremely uncommon childhood disorder and more common diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

23 Jul 2025

Microglia Replacement Halts Progression of Fatal Neurological Disease in Mice and Humans

Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) is a progressive neurological disease with an average age of onset of 43 years and an average life expectancy of only 3 to 5 years after symptoms begin.

11 Jul 2025

Obesity-Related Cognitive Deficits Improved Through Astrocyte Modulation

Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, a brain region involved in the perception of pleasure generated by food consumption.

8 Jul 2025

Evidence for Neural Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis

Research indicates that neural stem cell transplants could promote myelin repair in progressive multiple sclerosis, paving the way for innovative treatments.

8 Jul 2025

Study Links Cell Surface Receptor Pairing to Proper Embryonic Body Shape

During animal development, cells divide and arrange themselves in a coordinated way, eventually forming the embryo.

4 Jul 2025

New Technique Enhances Three Dimensional Immunolabeling in Thick Tissues

Three dimensional immunohistochemistry (3D-IHC) has transformed our ability to visualize the spatial arrangement of cells and molecules in intact tissues.

20 Jun 2025

TEAD Proteins Switch Partners to Drive Neural Cell Maturation

The basic mechanisms that control neural development are intricate, and as research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shows, the underlying motivations may even seem contradictory.

21 May 2025

Genetic Sequencing Leads to Major Discovery in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

11 Apr 2025

Study Sheds Light on Development and Evolution of the Human Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a small but critical region at the base of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system, regulates body temperature, signals hunger and thirst, exerts hormonal control over the pituitary gland, helps set circadian rhythms, influences sexual behavior and reproduction, and plays a role in instinctive behaviors like fear, aggression, and maternal bonding.

9 Apr 2025

Study Sheds Light on Evolutionary Role of Microglia in the Peripheral Nervous System

In a study published in Cell on April 7, a research team led by Prof. Li Hanjie from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the presence of microglia in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and identified their crucial role in regulating neuronal soma size throughout evolution.

8 Apr 2025

Scientists Trace Cell Origins to Understand Inner Ear Development

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in an embryo.

4 Apr 2025

New Brain Organoid Model Reveals How Microglia Respond to Viral Infections

Organoids have revolutionized science and medicine, providing platforms for disease modeling, drug testing, and understanding developmental processes.

4 Apr 2025

New Scientific Article in Nature Linking the Potential Use of NeuroRestore ACD856 for the Treament of Obesity

AlzeCure Pharma AB (publ) (FN STO: ALZCUR), a pharmaceutical company that develops candidate drugs for diseases affecting the nervous system, focusing on Alzheimer's disease and pain, announced today that an article has been published in Nature suggesting the use of NeuroRestore ACD856 in the treatment of obesity.

2 Apr 2025

Dscamb Protein Ensures Proper Spacing in Zebrafish Cone Cells

In vertebrate retinas, specialized photoreceptors responsible for color vision (cone cells) arrange themselves in patterns known as the "cone mosaic".

26 Mar 2025