Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found the brain's appetite center uses fat for fuel by involving oxygen free radicals—molecules associated with aging and neurodegeneration. The findings, reported in the journal Nature, suggest that antioxidants could play a role in weight control.

Elderly mice manage protein misfolding less efficiently than young mice, report Naidoo et al. this week. Because protein misfolding can lead to protein aggregation and neurodegeneration, cells initiate the "unfolded protein response" when unfolded proteins begin to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).

An upcoming paper from Dr. David Wassarman (University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health) in the May 1 issue of G&D lends new insight into the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in Ataxia telangiectasia.

Scientists have identified a fusion protein that may contribute to Cockayne syndrome, a devastating disease characterized by developmental defects, neurodegeneration, severe wasting, and premature aging. The study is described in an article published March 21 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Mice whose brains had lost a large number of neurons due to neurodegeneration regained long-term memories and the ability to learn after their surroundings were enriched with toys and other sensory stimuli, according to new studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers. The scientists were able to achieve the same results when they treated the mice with a specific type of drug that encourages neuronal growth.