Brain Protein "Rescues" Neurons From Atrophy
... result of experience -- permanently strengthening neuronal connections that are more heavily used. A central mystery, however, has been how such heavier use translates into stronger connections. The new study indicates that neurotrophins -- which are released from neurons when they are triggered to fire by t...Animal Studies Indicate Aging Brain Responsive To Estrogen
...patients with estrogens might help protect against neuronal death that leadsto the cognitive decline. "Estrog...ssuggest that estrogens might help protect against neuronal death in Alzheimer'sdisease, said Einstein. The researchers believe that such findings as theirs in...Medicinal Leech May Offer Clues To Neural Regeneration
...rning and feeding, and is activated in response to neuronal injury in several organisms, including mammals. Though it has been tied to a number of functions, scientists have not yet identified how NOS operates at a cellular level. "We suspect that NOS plays an important role in the organization of many events...Merging Physics And Neuroscience: First Evidence Of Self-Organized Criticality In Brain Networks
...ulate theflow of ions and neurotransmitters in the neuronal cells thattransmit signals in the brain. The astrocytes can becomechemically unbalanced if levels of a neurotransmitter kainateexceed a critical threshold. Kainate is generated by the randomfiring of neurons that is part of the normal "noise" in th......t are the specific links betweenthe aggregates and neuronal dysfunction and death? Potential therapies for thediseases could be pursued along each of these lines of inquiry. The lead author on the Neuron paper is former Penn research associateHenry L. Paulson, MD, PhD, now at the University of Iowa. W...Second Gene Responsible For Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Identified
...isorder its name and are madeup partly of abnormal neuronal cells and glial cells, the brain's connectivetissue. Other brain abnormalities include distortion and migration of certainneurons. TSC is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder, meaning that any person withTSC has a 50 percent chance of transmi...Huntington's Disease Findings Pave Way For Potential Cure
...lei ofpeople with HD. The Bates group labeled them neuronal intranuclear inclusions(NII). Analysis using monoclonal antibody technology not available in 1979revealed that NIIs were aggregates (clumps) of huntingtin protein. The proteinentered the cell nucleus through pores in the nuclear membrane. The NII w...Gene For Last Major Form Of Batten Disease Discovered
...called Jansky-Bielchowsky disease or lateinfantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL), is one of four clos...tical question in LINCL is what causes the massive neuronal deathseen in the disease. As many as 50 or 60 percent of the brain?s neurons may dieas the disease ...Scientists Find New Trigger For Nerve Cell Death
... may provide a new therapeutic strategyfor slowing neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease," Choi says.......imals with thosetypes of seizures showed increased neuronal activity in a deep brain area knownas the thalamus...lates the circadian system, but found the specific neuronal pathway throughwhich orphanin acts. "This could lead to some important clinical applications,"says A...Growth Factor Stimulation Leads To Increase In New Neurons In The Striatum And Cortex Of The Brain
...tified and isolated a population of virtually pure neuronal cells - cellsthat have the capacity to produce mor...ecent work they were able tosignificantly increase neuronal production in the olfactory bulb of the SVZa byadministering BDNF in the ventricles of adult rats. ...Doublecortin : A Novel Gene Involved In Cortical Development
...s of neurons. It is well established thatdefective neuronal migration can lead to severe cortical malformations, but thefactors involved in this phenomenon are poorly understood. An interestingcandidate is the Doublecortin gene, which has just been identified by Vincentdes Portes and coworkers, who are part o...Candidate Regulator Of The Temporal Component Of Neurotransmitter Release Identified
..., so called synaptic vesicles, to fuse with the neuronal plasma membrane, thus secreting their content. ...prepared ("primed") for fusion. While neuronal communication relies on both the extent and duration of synaptic transmission, only the molecular...Transplanted Neurons Restore Function In Rats After Stroke
... thembenign. Significantly, when the human neuronal cells were frozen and then thawedprior to transpla...e brains ofrats. "This suggests that human neuronal cell transplantation may be a usefulalternative to fetal tissue in treating strokes and other neurod...Study Shows: Just Say NO To Bone Loss
... found to play arole in male erection. Another is neuronal NO synthase, primarily associatedwith nerve tissues. A recent study on mice with the NO neuronal synthase geneknocked out reported extremely aggressive male mice that were overly sexuallyaggressive...... transparent larvae are suitable for imaging of neuronal activity within the brain and peripheral nervous system. Localization of the defects to the sensory hair cells or primary neurons in the mutants was achieved by a non-invasive technique of labeling early embryos with a fluorescent ...Heart and Soul: The Blood Vessels And Brain Use Common Guide
...st glance, blood vessels appear lessintricate than neuronal circuits--mere plumbing to carry blood, one mightthink--they do form an exquisite structure that is largely identical in allpeople. What is behind this order? In the current study, Klagsbrun's team reports initial experimentsasking in a simpl......y astrocytes inthe brain have different effects on neuronal structure according to whether theycontain apoE3 or apoE4," Holtzman says. "One could speculate that such an effecton structural plasticity might provide a common mechanism for thedisadvantageous effects of apoE4 in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's d...... decline, suggesting that BAF really had protected neuronal tissue. Moreover, the activity of an enzyme called caspase-3 was lower than normal in the BAF-treated rats, whereas it was three-to-five times higher in the control animals. "These results suggest that BAF protects brain tissue by inhibiting caspase...Sensory experience is capable of modifying neuronal connectivities in the brain, either by ... is essential for the optimization of neuronal connections in the brain. While genetic information is only sufficient for the developm...