Brain News and Research

RSS

The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Simple Blood Test Uncovers Gene Expression Secrets

The brain is the most protected organ in the body, sheathed in a complex and nearly impenetrable barrier of specialized blood vessels.

12 Jan 2024

Unexpected Situations Trigger Chandelier Cell Activity

According to a recent study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, certain brain cells, known as chandelier cells, become active in unexpected circumstances.

11 Jan 2024

Tracking Genes in the Brain Via Non-Invasive Methods

With its intricate network of specialized blood arteries forming a nearly impenetrable barrier, the brain is the most protected organ in the body.

11 Jan 2024

Exploring the Dual Role of Phosphorylated α-Synuclein in Healthy Neural Function

It has been found by researchers that phosphorylated α-synuclein, a protein linked to a number of neurodegenerative illnesses, including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, is also engaged in the regular processes of neuronal communication in a healthy brain.

10 Jan 2024

Ancient DNA Reveals Reason for High Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Rates in Europe

Researchers have created the world’s largest ancient human gene bank by analysing the bones and teeth of almost 5,000 humans who lived across western Europe and Asia up to 34,000 years ago.

10 Jan 2024

Key Cytokine Pairs Driving Sepsis Damage Identified

One of the main causes of death in the ICU is sepsis, which is the result of an infection that causes the immune system to mistakenly target the body.

9 Jan 2024

Brain's Internal Compass Found to Hold Key to Episodic Memory Formation

Researchers at the University of Tübingen have uncovered new roles for head-direction cells, which may have an impact on the development of episodic memory.

8 Jan 2024

Largest Gestational Diabetes Study Reveals 9 New Genetic Regions

The largest genetic study of gestational diabetes to date has led to a discovery of nine novel genetic regions linked to this severe and common pregnancy complication.

8 Jan 2024

B12-Producing Gut Bacteria Modulate Neurotransmitter Levels and Reduce Seizures in C. elegans

A new study published in Nature Cell Biology by Mark Alkema, PhD, professor of neurobiology, establishes an important molecular link between specific B12-producing bacteria in the gut of the roundworm C. elegans and the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important to memory and cognitive function.

5 Jan 2024

Scientists Develop Tiny Human Cerebellums to Decipher Disease and Design Therapies

In a first for USC Stem Cell scientists, the laboratory of Giorgia Quadrato, an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, has pioneered a novel human brain organoid model that generates all the major cell types of the cerebellum, a hindbrain region predominantly made up of two cell types necessary for movement, cognition, and emotion: granule cells and Purkinje neurons.

5 Jan 2024

Midshipman Fish Song Shows Midbrain's Role in Vocal Production

Talkative midshipman fish also referred to as “California singing fish,” rely heavily on the midbrain to initiate and organize the trains of sounds necessary for vocal communication.

4 Jan 2024

Unveiling Cytonemes, the Secret Messengers of the Nervous System

Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital captured images of cytonemes, which are cellular projections that are involved in long-distance signal transmission during development.

3 Jan 2024

The Foundation of Gene Expression in Brain Development

Researchers from Osaka University and Shenzhen Bay Laboratory have uncovered the actions of proteins connected to memory and learning in human brain cells in a study that was just published in Cell Reports.

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

SpaceX Returns Vital Life Science Research Sponsored by the ISS National Lab

Dozens of science and technology development payloads returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on December 22 as SpaceX’s 29th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, contracted by NASA, successfully concluded.

27 Dec 2023

Toxic Plant Toxin Gets a Safety Upgrade for New Drugs and Pesticides

Picrotoxinin, a plant-derived toxin that Asian fishermen traditionally have used to paralyze and catch fish, has long been seen as a possible starting point for new human therapeutics and other neuroactive products.

26 Dec 2023

Unveiling the Orchestration of Cells With Single-Cell Time Tracking

While physicists continue to argue about whether time is indeed an illusion, as Albert Einstein claimed, biologists have no doubt about its significance for understanding life as a dynamic system.

26 Dec 2023

NEMO Protein Promotes Degradation of Harmful Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates in Parkinson's Disease

Researchers have identified a mechanism that promotes the breakdown of harmful protein deposits. If it malfunctions, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease.

21 Dec 2023

Intermittent Energy Restriction Diet Alters Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis

Worldwide, more than one billion people are obese. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

21 Dec 2023

How Next-Gen Sequencing is Revolutionizing Infection Diagnosis

Scientists from Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP), the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Université Paris-Est Créteil and the Alfort National Veterinary School, coordinated by Professor Marc Eloit and Dr. Anne Jamet in collaboration with Dr. Jacques Fourgeaud and Beatrice Regnault, studied the role of global genetic characterization of samples (or non-targeted metagenomics) using next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in diagnosing infections.

19 Dec 2023