Brain cells called astrocytes play a key role in helping neurons develop and function properly, but there's still a lot scientists don't understand about how astrocytes perform these important jobs. Now, a team of scientists led by Associate Professor Nicola…
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New brain stimulation technique precisely controls motor activity without surgical device implantation
Neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy have had some treatment success with deep brain stimulation, but those require surgical device implantation. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new brain stimulation technique using…
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Chaperone protein imbalance can play key role in initiating toxic tau buildup in the aging brain
Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain – an early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by…
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Brainstem neurons control both behaviour and misbehaviour
A recent study at the University of Helsinki reveals how gene control mechanisms define the identity of developing neurons in the brainstem. The researchers also showed that a failure in differentiation of the brainstem neurons leads to behavioral abnormalities, including…
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Mosquitoes’ taste for blood traced to four types of neurons
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…
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Brains manage neurons like air traffic controllers manage airplane movements
Air traffic controllers monitor the movements of thousands of flights—taking into account the types of aircraft used and the cargo carried—to destinations in real time. As well, in order to properly co-ordinate arrivals and departures, aircraft speeds must be constantly…
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Sensory neurons outside the brain drive autistic social behaviors, study suggests
A new study from Penn Medicine lends further evidence that the social behaviors tied to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emerge from abnormal function of sensory neurons outside the brain. It’s an important finding, published today in the journal Cell Reports,…
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