Nervous System News

September 9, 2016

Stem Cell Therapy Gives Paralyzed Man Use of Arms

Nerve Cells With a Sense of Rhythm

Zika: Multiple Brain Effects Beyond Microcephaly

Reversing Stroke-Induced Long-Term Disability?

Latest Headlines

updated 1:01am EDT

Neuroscience: Linking Perception to Action

Sep. 8, 2016 — A researcher studying how the brain uses perception of the environment to guide action has a new understanding of the neural circuits responsible for transforming sensation into ... read more

Protein Subunit Found to Rescue Afflicted Neurons in Huntington's Disease

Sep. 6, 2016 — Using an experimental co-culture approach in which two different types of neurons from a mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) are grown side-by-side, connecting to form critically impacted ... read more

Scientists Reverse Alcohol Dependence in Animal Models

Sep. 6, 2016 — The more a person drinks, the more they reinforce activation in the neuronal "circuit," which then drives further alcohol use and addiction. It's as if the brain carves a special path between alcohol ... read more

Model Maps out Molecular Roots of Learning and Memory Formation

Sep. 7, 2016 — A team of researchers has built a mathematical model that describes the molecular events associated with the beginning stage of learning and memory formation in the human brain. The research paves ... read more

From DNA to Disease, Study Describes Rare, New Brain Disorder

Sep. 6, 2016 — A team of scientists shows how mutations in the gene GPT2 lead to a rare developmental and potentially degenerative brain disease. The study highlights both new medical and scientific opportunities, ... read more

Twin Study Helps Unravel the Genetic Blueprint of the Human Brain

Sep. 6, 2016 — Researchers have found a strong genetic contribution to almost all cortical and subcortical brain structures, and have identified three clusters of genetically related structures. The research paves ... read more

A New Angle on Anxiety

Sep. 6, 2016 — Clinical anxiety affects up to 30 percent of Americans who are in great need of better treatments with fewer side effects. A study finds that certain neurons in the ... read more

'Traffic Jam' in Brain Linked to Common Cognitive Disorder

Sep. 6, 2016 — A brain MRI could help improve the diagnosis of people with a common type of cognitive disorder, according to a new study. Vascular cognitive disorder is caused by disease of the vessels supplying ... read more

Study on Multiple Sclerosis Misdiagnosis Supports Improved Education of Clinicians

Aug. 31, 2016 — A new study defines the current problems that lead patients to be misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the possible reasons why they are ... read more

Researcher Finds Mechanism Affecting Alcohol Consumption

Aug. 30, 2016 — A researcher has found a mechanism that strongly influences whether or not an animal is likely to drink a lot of alcohol, turning lush mice into teetotalers, a new report ... read more

The Ice Bucket Challenge Funded A Major ALS Gene Breakthrough

Say Hello to Heirs of Dolly

Texas Conjoined Twins Undergo Separation Surgery

Grey Hair Gene Could Be Switched Off, Say Scientists

Dopamine: Far More Than Just the 'Happy Hormone'

Aug. 31, 2016 — Dopamine is a so-called messenger substance or neurotransmitter that conveys signals between neurons. It not only controls mental and emotional responses but also motor reactions. Dopamine is ... read more

Operational Mechanism of the 'Acid-Sensing Ion Channel' That Recognizes Internal Body Pain

Aug. 30, 2016 — A research team has identified the pain transmission mechanism at the molecular level and presented new solutions for the understanding of pain signals and the development of pain ... read more

People With Alcohol Dependency Lack Important Enzyme

Aug. 30, 2016 — A research group has identified an enzyme whose production is turned off in nerve cells of the frontal lobe when alcohol dependence develops. The deficiency in this enzyme leads to continued use of ... read more

Cellular Communication Processes That Make Life Possible

Aug. 29, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a mechanism of intercellular communication that helps explain how biological systems and actions -- ranging from a beating heart to the ability to hit a home run -- ... read more

Use It or Lose It: Stopping Exercise Decreases Brain Blood Flow

Aug. 29, 2016 — Researchers examined cerebral blood flow in master athletes (ages 50-80 years) before and after a 10-day period during which they stopped all exercise. Using MRI brain imaging techniques, they found ... read more

Alzheimer's: Nicotinic Receptors as a New Therapeutic Target

Aug. 29, 2016 — Studies have indicated that nicotine may be beneficial for memory function. Scientists are set out to shed further light on the properties attributed to nicotine by determining the precise structure ... read more

Special Nerve Cells Cause Goose Bumps and Nipple Erection

Aug. 29, 2016 — The sympathetic nerve system has long been thought to respond the same regardless of the physical or emotional stimulus triggering it. However, in a new study, scientists show that the system ... read more

Scientists Shed New Light on the Role of Calcium in Learning, Memory

Aug. 26, 2016 — While calcium’s importance for our bones and teeth is well known, its role in neurons—in particular, its effects on processes such as learning and memory—has been less well defined. A new study ... read more

Finally, the Brain Sensor That Turns Down the Heat

Aug. 25, 2016 — At long last, researchers have zeroed in on the neurons that act as the brain's internal ... read more

Scientists Map Brain's Action Center

Aug. 25, 2016 — New research dispels long-held notions about the area of the brain involved in Parkinson's and addiction. The work delves into the anatomy and function of the striatum by employing cutting-edge ... read more

How PSD Forms and Why Defects Can Cause Autism

Aug. 25, 2016 — Scientists have discovered that SynGAP and PSD-95, two abundance proteins in PSD that are known to cause autism when mutated, can form an autonomously assembled network structure both in test-tube ... read more

Opioid Receptors Outside the Brain Targeted in Rats; New Direction for Painkillers

Aug. 25, 2016 — Opioid abuse is a growing public health crisis, affecting up to 36 million people worldwide. Many of these individuals first get hooked on prescription painkillers that target mu opioid receptors in ... read more

Artificial Retinas: Promising Leads Towards Clearer Vision

Aug. 25, 2016 — A major therapeutic challenge, the retinal prostheses that have been under development during the past ten years can enable some blind subjects to perceive light signals, but the image thus restored ... read more

Elevating Brain Protein Allays Symptoms of Alzheimer's, Improves Memory

Aug. 25, 2016 — Scientists are testing a drug that could boost levels of critical protective protein in brain. In the study, the team conducted tests in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by raising the ... read more

Breakthrough in Understanding of Brain Development: Immune Cell Involvement Revealed

Aug. 25, 2016 — Researchers have revealed that microglia -- cells involved in immune functions in the brain -- also influence brain connectivity and formation of new links between neurons in the developing brain. By ... read more

In Unstable Times, the Brain Reduces Cell Production to Help Cope

Aug. 24, 2016 — A new study found that adult rats with disruptions in their social hierarchy produced far fewer new neurons, and reacted to the surrounding upheaval by favoring the company of familiar rats. The ... read more

Concussions and Brain Injury: Can Omega-3 Intake Aid in Brain Health Recovery?

Aug. 24, 2016 — The treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a clinical challenge. Clinical studies thus far have failed to identify an effective treatment strategy when a combination of targets ... read more

Scientists Identify Spark Plug That Ignites Nerve Cell Demise in ALS

Aug. 24, 2016 — Scientists have pinpointed an enzyme that triggers rapid demise of nerve cells in people with ALS. The research team describes a molecular chain of events that culminates in the stripping of the ... read more

Team Discovers How Zika Virus Causes Fetal Brain Damage

Aug. 24, 2016 — Infection by the Zika virus diverts a key protein necessary for neural cell division in the developing human fetus, thereby causing the birth defect microcephaly, a team of scientists ... read more

A Brain Circuit to Push Past Nutritional Stress

Aug. 24, 2016 — Nutritional stress is a normal part of life; going hungry on a short-term basis generally does not impair important functions. The brain coordinates the response to nutritional stress but how it does ... read more

Wednesday, August 31, 2016