Neurons News and Research

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Using nanotechnology and magnetic manipulations to bioengineer 3D neural networks

Neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles, and for transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between.

30 Nov 2022

Discovery provides insights into how invertebrates have evolved complex nervous systems

Octopuses are not much like humans -; they are invertebrates with eight arms, and more closely related to clams and snails.

29 Nov 2022

Tackling epilepsy with a potential new drug

One of the epilepsy types that are most prevalent worldwide is temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Although there are symptomatic medications available, one-third of TLE patients are still not responding to the current course of treatment, necessitating the urgent need for new drug targets.

25 Nov 2022

RNA-targeting strategy to repair the genetic cause of ALS and dementia

Researchers at UF Scripps Biomedical Research have created a potential treatment for a major factor in the development of ALS and dementia that functions by removing disease-causing RNA segments.

24 Nov 2022

Highlighting the potential of new techniques to study mental disorders

Researchers investigating the fundamental brain mechanics of autism spectrum disorder have discovered that a gene mutation known to be connected with the illness causes considerably more overstimulation of brain cells than in neuronal cells without the mutation.

23 Nov 2022

Rapid fluctuations in electrical activity within breast cancer cells identified

Recent research has discovered that the membranes of breast cancer cells have varying voltages, revealing information regarding their growth and spread.

15 Nov 2022

Revitalized immune cells improve waste removal from the brain

Damaged protein clusters in the brain are a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and others. Although they have made significant efforts, scientists have only partially succeeded in finding treatments for these conditions by removing these toxic clusters.

11 Nov 2022

UO research in zebrafish shows a gut-brain link that influences social behavior

To learn to socialize, zebrafish need to trust their gut. Gut microbes encourage specialized cells to prune back extra connections in brain circuits that control social behavior, new UO research in zebrafish shows.

10 Nov 2022

New tool advances potential means to deliver gene therapy

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine claim to have successfully “slid” genetic instructions into a cell and produced essential proteins that were lacking from those cells using a cell’s normal process for creating proteins.

1 Nov 2022

Gene governing cell division could shield against Alzheimer’s

According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the overexpression of a gene linked to cell division and the structure and function of neurons could prevent and protect against cognitive deterioration in both mice and people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

28 Oct 2022

Key to developing more effective obesity treatments

The amygdala, a part of the brain, is in charge of strong emotions such as fear. Scientists have shown that the amygdala may be at fault for overeating.

25 Oct 2022

Nonconducting W434F mutant varies in structure and conformation

Potassium (K+) channels are tiny, highly specialized conduits found in every live cell that transfer K+ ions in an exceedingly selective and quick manner across cell membranes.

13 Oct 2022

Spores integrate environmental signals over time

When exposed to starvation and stress, certain bacteria enter a dormant state in which life functions cease. These cells, known as spores, can resist punishing extremes of heat, pressure, and even the extreme conditions of outer space by entering a profound hibernation.

7 Oct 2022

Cell illumination and targeted cell editing using RNA-based editing technology

An RNA-based editing tool has been developed by Duke University researchers, which targets specific cells rather than genes. Any cell type can be precisely targeted, and any protein of interest can be added only to that cell type.

6 Oct 2022

New guidelines to generate high-quality, well-structured organoids

Researchers have opened a new avenue for investigations of neurological development, disease, and therapies that cannot be undertaken in living people by employing stem cells to grow small brain-like structures in the lab.

30 Sep 2022

Researchers use zebrafish larvae to study how the brain reacts to warmer temperatures

Which organisms survive and which succumb when the climate changes? A small larval fish is providing surprising insight into how the brain reacts when the temperature rises.

30 Sep 2022

New role for huntingtin protein—neuronal regeneration

A recent study led by the University at Buffalo proposes a novel role for the huntingtin protein (HTT), which leads to Huntington’s disease when mutated.

28 Sep 2022

An analysis of old genes’ influence on sea anemones

For the neuronal cell types’ categorization as more complicated creatures, the genetic fingerprint of Nematostella vectensis—the sea anemone—reveals that the members of this evolutionarily very ancient animal phylum employ identical gene cascades.

22 Sep 2022

Researchers reveal key developmental difference between the brains of modern humans and Neandertals

AZoLifesciences speaks to Dr. Anneline Pinson and Prof. Dr. Wieland B. Huttner from The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics about their latest research which found a greater neuron production in the frontal lobe during brain development in modern humans than Neandertals, due to the change of a single amino acid in the protein TKTL1.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Sep 2022

Human-specific gene involves in neocortical expansion during evolution

Great ape animal experiments have long been prohibited in Europe due to ethical concerns. An alternative to using animals in investigations is the use of organoids, which are three-dimensional cell structures that can be generated in the lab and are only a few millimeters in size.

From The Max Planck Institute 14 Sep 2022