Brain cells

Protein can nurture or devastate brain cells

harminka — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:17:05 -0600

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered new insights into the “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage.

High-altitude climbing causes subtle loss of brain cells

harminka — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:13:34 -0500

A study of professional mountain climbers has shown that high-altitude exposure can cause subtle white and grey matter changes to the area of the brain involved in motor activity, according to the October issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

Hub of fear memory formation identified in brain cells

harminka — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:20:36 -0500

A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

Rutgers research identifies brain cells related to fear

harminka — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:11:14 -0500

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about 40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Statins have unexpected effect on pool of powerful brain cells

harminka — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:19:47 -0500

Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells important to brain health as we age, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia.

Life-extending protein can have damaging effects on brain cells

harminka — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:13:52 -0500

Proteins widely believed to protect against aging can actually cause oxidative damage in mammalian brain cells, according to a new report in the July Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. The findings suggest that the proteins can have both proaging and protective functions, depending on the circumstances, the researchers said.

MIT unlocks mystery behind brain imaging

harminka — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:56:02 -0500

In work that solves a long-standing mystery in neuroscience, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes—previously considered bit players by most neuroscientists—make noninvasive brain scans possible.

Molecular scaffold that guides connections between brain cells

harminka — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:06:10 -0500

Brain cells known as neurons process information by joining into complex networks, transmitting signals to each other across junctions called synapses. But “neurons don’t just connect to other neurons,” emphasizes Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D., “in a lot of cases, they connect to very specific partners, at particular spots.”

Scientists find key culprit in stroke brain cell damage

harminka — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:15:40 -0500

Researchers have identified a key player in the killing of brain cells after a stroke or a seizure. The protein asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) unleashes enzymes that break down brain cells' DNA, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

Youngest patient worldwide to have auditory implant in brain stem

harminka — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:46:13 -0600

A team of ear, nose and throat specialists and neurosurgeons at the University Hospital of Navarra, led by doctors Manuel Manrique Rodríguez, specialist in ear, nose and throat surgery and Bartolomé Bejarano Herruzo, specialist in paediatric neurosurgery, have successfully operated on a 13 month-old girl from Murcia, who had been born deaf due to the lack of auditory nerves.

Building brains: Mammalian-like neurogenesis in fruit flies

harminka — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:34:16 -0600

A new way of generating brain cells has been uncovered in Drosophila. The findings, published this week in the online open access journal Neural Development, reveal that this novel mode of neurogenesis is very similar to that seen in mammalian brains, suggesting that key aspects of neural development could be shared by insects and mammals.

Newborn brain cells modulate learning and memory

harminka — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:06:12 -0600

Boosted by physical and mental exercise, neural stem cells continue to sprout new neurons throughout life, but the exact function of these newcomers has been the topic of much debate. Removing a genetic master switch that maintains neural stem cells in their proliferative state finally gave researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies some definitive answers.