Feature Channels: Neuro

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National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have developed a 3D micro-scaffold technology that promotes reprogramming of stem cells into neurons, and supports growth of neuronal connections capable of transmitting electrical signals. The injection of these networks of functioning human neural cells – compared to injecting individual cells -- dramatically improved their survival following transplantation into mouse brains. This #d technology could make transplantation of neurons a viable treatment for a broad range of human neurodegenerative disorders. The new research is supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of NIH.

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A new study published in Physiological Genomics suggests that the brain shows signs of aging earlier than old age. The study found that the microglia cells—the immune cells of the brain—in middle-aged mice already showed altered activity seen in microglia from older mice.

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Using optogenetics to study long-range communication across the brain, Dr. Ofer Yizhar and his Weizmann Institute of Science team temporarily silenced long-range axons so as to determine their role in the brain’s conversation. As mental and neurological diseases are thought to be related to disrupted long-range connectivity, the team’s findings could lead to better understanding and treatment of such disorders.

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Described in a study published by IEEE Sensors Journal, AutoDietary is like Fitbit and other wearable devices. Only instead of tracking burned calories, it monitors caloric intake – in other words, what we eat – at the neck.

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Nearly half of all atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at the highest risk for stroke are not being prescribed blood thinners by their cardiologists, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco.

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Concussions have received plenty of attention from the media, but exactly how they affect patients clinically is not well understood. Now, in an effort to learn how concussions affect both the body and brain, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $2 million grant to researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

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Tumors induced by oncogenes can be both prevented and normalized using light to control electric signaling among cells. The findings in frogs extend the application of optogenetics from neurons and the brain to cancer and provide proof of principle for a novel class of therapies which use light to override the action of oncogenic mutations.

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About half of children born with Jacobsen syndrome, a rare inherited disease, experience social and behavioral issues consistent with autism spectrum disorders. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators developed a mouse model of the disease that also exhibits autism-like social behaviors and used it to unravel the molecular mechanism that connects the genetic defects inherited in Jacobsen syndrome to effects on brain function.

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Traumatic brain injury appears to be related to both increased risk and earlier onset of mild cognitive impairment, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

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A pair of neurologists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Monica P. Islam, MD, and E. Steve Roach, MD, are the editors behind “Neurocutaneous Syndromes,” a recently published book that highlights the insights of neurocutaneous syndromes research and shows that “classic doctoring” still has a big role to play in diagnosis and treatment.

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In a small clinical study with an anticancer drug that halts blood vessel growth, a handful of people with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and hearing loss had restoration of hearing.

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For humans to understand speech and for other animals to know each other’s calls, the brain must distinguish short sounds from longer sounds. By studying frogs, University of Utah researchers figured out how certain brain cells compute the length of sounds and detect short ones.

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Children with a severe type of spina bifida have excess fat accumulation in their lower extremities. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles determine that this excess fat tissue is within the muscle boundary may signify increased risk for metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

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According to the American Heart Association, ischemic strokes account for nearly 90 percent of all strokes. They occur when a blocked artery prevents blood from getting to the brain and usually result in long-term disability or death. Now, a team of researchers led by the University of Missouri School of Medicine has developed a new, real-time method of imaging molecular events after strokes ― a finding that may lead to improved care for patients.

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The need to non-invasively see and track cells in living persons is indisputable. Emerging treatments using stem cells and immune cells are poised to most benefit from cell tracking, which would visualize their behavior in the body after delivery. Clinicians require such data to speed these cell treatments to patients. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a new highly sensitive chemical probe that tags cells for detection by MRI.

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Researchers at SBP have identified a new combination therapy for the most aggressive form of medulloblastoma, a fast growing pediatric brain cancer. These results are expected to lead to a clinical trial.

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Home-based interventions that teach parents to engage children in playful interactive learning activities can close the cognitive development gap between disadvantaged children and high-resource peers, according to a new study led by RTI International.

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A new study shows that a variety of physical activities from walking to gardening and dancing can improve brain volume and cut the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 50%.

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Magnetic resonance image isn't everything. A new University of Alberta study shows that vibrating the spine may reveal more when it comes to treating back pain. Teaming with the University of South Denmark to study the lumbar spine of twins, Greg Kawchuk and his team demonstrate that structural changes within the spine alter its vibration response significantly.

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University of Virginia scientists have demonstrated that neurons in the brain that have been supplemented with a synthetic gene can be remotely manipulated by a magnetic field. The finding has implications for possible future treatment of a range of neurological diseases, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.

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A new study, jointly led by the University of Southampton and King’s College London, has found a link between gum disease and greater rates of cognitive decline in people with early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Evidence of grid cell activity has been seen in healthy volunteers asked to imagine moving through an environment in new UCL research, which could help to explain why people with Alzheimer's can have problems imagining as well as remembering things.

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A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that cells construct protein “clumps” to protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

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People newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) may often have other chronic health conditions as well, according to a study published in the March 9, 2016 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The State of Cancer Care in America: 2016 report, to be released on March 15 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), chronicles the current realities of the cancer care delivery system in the United States and examines trends in the oncology workforce and practice environment that are affecting patient care and access.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have identified a mechanism that might explain the link between maternal infections during pregnancy and cognitive problems in children; findings may impact clinical care.

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A new study shows that the more flights of stairs a person climbs, and the more years of school a person completes, the “younger” their brain physically appears.

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Why are some people so much more anxious than others? New research from the Weizmann Institute of Science shows that there are fundamental differences in the way anxious persons perceive the world. In a process called overgeneralization, even neutral stimuli can remind them of emotionally charged stimuli, triggering anxiety.

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A new study by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has identified specific genetic variations closely associated with increased susceptibility to bipolar disorder and other conditions. The discovery may provide a target for new therapies.

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Malfunctioning mitochondria — the power plants in cells — are behind the damage caused by strokes, heart attacks, and neurodegenerative diseases, but little has been known about how to stop these reactors from melting down, destroying cells and tissue.

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If you have trouble sleeping, the neurons in your brain may be firing like those in roundworms randomly seeking food in the absence of clues, says University of Oregon biologist Shawn R. Lockery.

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Neurosurgeons at Houston Methodist Hospital report the successful treatment of deep-seated thalamic and brain stem cavernous angiomas in an upcoming article in the Journal of Neurosurgery (online March 8).

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Understanding non-homeostatic eating — or eating that is driven more by palatability, habit and food cues — and how it works in the brain may help neuroscientists determine how to control cravings, maintain healthier weights and promote healthier lifestyles. Scientists at the University of Missouri recently discovered the chemical circuits and mechanisms in the brain that separate food consumption from cravings. Knowing more about these mechanisms could help researchers develop drugs that reduce overeating.

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People are intuitive physicists, knowing from birth how objects under the influence of gravity are likely to fall, topple or roll. In a new study, scientists have found the brain cells apparently responsible for this innate wisdom.

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The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) are creating a Spine Patient Registry, which will support the collection and submission of quality data specific to spine patients and track these patients’ outcomes over time.

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(CHICAGO) — Dr. Igor J. Koralnik, an accomplished clinician and researcher, has been named chairperson of the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. The announcement was made by Ranga Krishnan, MB, ChB, dean of Rush Medical College and senior vice president, medical affairs, Rush University Medical Center.

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Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a novel mechanism that could protect the brain from damage due to stroke and a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, including sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

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Sometimes, a nematode worm just needs to take a nap. In fact, its life may depend on it. New research has identified a protein that promotes a sleep-like state in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Without the snooze-inducing molecule, worms are more likely to die when confronted with stressful conditions, report researchers in the March 7, 2016 issue of the journal GENETICS.

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Used in combination, two innovative rehabilitation approaches can promote better long-term recovery of arm and hand movement function in stroke survivors, suggests a paper in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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JAX research provides insight into the role of the western diet in Alzheimer’s disease.

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Caffeine's neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties may explain link.

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Small numbers are processed in the right side of the brain, while large numbers are processed in the left side of the brain, new research suggests.

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Young adults with hostile attitudes or those who don’t cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to a study published in the March 2, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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In a new study published today in the journal Neuron, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) are the first to sequence the complete genomes of individual neurons and to produce live mice carrying neuronal genomes in all of their cells.

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Depression can strike anyone, taking a toll on mental and physical health, friendships, work and studies. But figuring out who’s at risk for it is still a murky task. A new study suggests that standard ways of looking for depression risk may not work as well among blacks as they do among whites. But listening to how blacks describe their own mental health could help.

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Keeping the brain active with social activities and using a computer may help older adults reduce their risk of developing memory and thinking problems, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

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Women who have acute migraine attacks that are severe enough to prompt them to seek care may be more likely to have complications when giving birth, including preterm delivery, preeclampsia and low birthweight. Women 35 and older were seven times more likely to have these complications.These findings, conducted by researchers at Montefiore Health System, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting on April 15 to 21.

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UAB researchers present the first findings of a large study of cannabidiol for treating seizures

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Moderate stress encourages male bonding, and prosocial behavior makes them more resilient to stress.

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PGK1, a glycolytic enzyme, has been found to play a role in coordinating cellular processes crucial to cancer metabolism and brain tumor formation, according to results published in today’s online issue of Molecular Cell.