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Researchers discover a gene responsible for urination

In a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study involving both mice and patients who are part of an NIH Clinical Center trial, researchers discovered that a gene, called PIEZO2, may be responsible for the powerful urge to urinate that we normally feel several times a day.

20 Oct 2020

Visually responsive neurons in zebrafish are arranged in a map to efficiently catch prey

Spotting, pursuing and catching prey - for many animals this is an essential task for survival. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show in zebrafish that the localization of neurons in the midbrain is adapted to a successful hunting sequence.

20 Oct 2020

Study shows cocaine use in mice leads to formation of synapses

Drugs of abuse, like cocaine, are so addictive due in part to their cellular interaction, creating strong cellular memories in the brain that promote compulsive behaviors.

16 Oct 2020

Scientists find sensor protein which enables normal functioning of bladder

A team co-led by scientists at Scripps Research has found that the main sensor protein enabling our sense of touch also underlies the feeling of having a full bladder and makes normal bladder function possible.

15 Oct 2020

New software helps analyze individual cells in virtual reality

New virtual reality software now enables scientists to “walk” inside and examine individual cells.

14 Oct 2020

Researchers trace neurons in mosquitoes that sense blood's distinctive flavor

It's one of the world's deadliest animals, and it has a taste for human blood: the mosquito. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow fever that kill at least a half a million people each year. Now researchers are learning what humans taste like to mosquitoes, down to the individual neurons that sense blood's distinctive, delectable flavor.

13 Oct 2020

Enzyme SSH1 impairs disposal of damaged tau and mitochondria leaking toxins

In a healthy brain, the multistep waste clearance process known as autophagy routinely removes and degrades damaged cell components - including malformed proteins like tau and toxic mitochondria.

13 Oct 2020

Researchers identify specific neurons that may contribute to epileptic seizures

Epilepsy, results from impairment in brain cells and is often treated with drugs that counteract or control the seizures.

9 Oct 2020

Study reveals process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain

The death of neurons, whether in the brain or the eye, can result in a number of human neurodegenerative disorders, from blindness to Parkinson's disease.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers discover how synapses find energy to support intense neural conversations

Our thoughts, feelings, and movements are controlled by billions of neurons talking to each other at trillions of specialized communication points called synapses.

6 Oct 2020

Vacuolar Tauopathy: New, rare genetic form of dementia discovered

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of Penn Medicine researchers. This discovery also sheds light on a new pathway that leads to protein build up in the brain -- which causes this newly discovered disease, as well as related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease -- that could be targeted for new therapies. The study was published today in Science.

5 Oct 2020

Scientists discover new genes and brain circuits crucial for short-term memory

A mice study has revealed a novel gene that is crucial for short-term memory but works in a part of the brain that is not usually linked to memory.

5 Oct 2020

Stem cells can repair parkinson's-damaged circuits in mouse brains

The mature brain is infamously bad at repairing itself following damage like that caused by trauma or strokes, or from degenerative diseases like Parkinson's.

28 Sep 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target for spinocerebellar ataxia

Scientists have created an animal model that simulates cerebellar neurodegeneration and motor dysfunction.

25 Sep 2020

New brain-inspired nanodevice can identify mutations in viruses

In the September issue of the journal Nature, scientists from Texas A&M University, Hewlett Packard Labs and Stanford University have described a new nanodevice that acts almost identically to a brain cell.

24 Sep 2020

Alzheimer's disease may be driven by overactivation of fructose made in the brain

New research released from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus proposes that Alzheimer's disease may be driven by the overactivation of fructose made in the brain.

24 Sep 2020

New insight into how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain night vision

New insight on how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain their night vision for a relatively long period of time has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

23 Sep 2020

How do hallucinogenic drugs exert their actions on the brain?

Not much is known about the fundamental mechanisms in the brain of hallucinogenic drugs and the way they induce their hallucinogenic effects.

21 Sep 2020

Study reveals new gene involved in motor neuron diseases

According to a study, failures in a quality control system that defends protein-building fidelity in cells can result in motor neuron degeneration.

18 Sep 2020

Mouse model reveals neurons responsible for guiding adaptive behavior

Humans, like other animals, have the ability to constantly adapt to new situations. Researchers at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich have utilized a mouse model to reveal which neurons in the brain are in command in guiding adaptive behavior.

17 Sep 2020