Brain blood flow gives clues to treating depression
... of antidepressant medicines that target different neurotransmitters is associated with a similar improvement in cerebral blood flow, he noted. However, cerebral blood flow continued to deteriorate in patients who responded to electroconvulsive therapy, added Bonne, who helped implement functional brain imaging resear...Not all embryonic stem cell lines are created equal
...the two cell lines used different chemicals called neurotransmitters to communicate with one another, he said. Sun and her colleagues compared the microRNAs produced by the two types of neurons. MicroRNAs are small snippets of genetic material that are believed to be significant regulators of stem cell differentiation...Success or failure of antidepressant citalopram predicted by gene variation
...r the chemical messenger serotonin, one of several neurotransmitters that enable the cells to communicate with each other. The discovery that a variation in a serotonin-related gene could affect response to citalopram was not entirely surprising, since the serotonin system is known to be involved in depression. Citalo...Gene variant increases risk for alcoholism following childhood abuse
...ment. MAOA is an enzyme that metabolizes various neurotransmitters that regulate the bodys response to stress, explains first author Francesca Ducci, M.D., a visiting fellow in NIAAAs Laboratory of Neurogenetics in Bethesda, Maryland. DNA variations occur within a regulatory area the MAOA-linked polymorphic region...Brain works more chaotically than previously thought
...ectrical impulses. "It was previously thought that neurotransmitters are only released at synapses," points out Dr. Dirk Dietrich at Bonn University. "But our findings indicate that this is not the case." The messenger attracts insulating cells Together with his colleagues Dr. Maria Kukley and Dr. Estibaliz Cape......hemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. But neurotransmitters are general messengers they can inhibit as well as excite, and the receptors can respond to either message. How, the scientists wanted to know, is the G protein targeted so quickly and precisely to activate the channel? Reuveny and his team found...Academy honors 18 for major contributions to science
...is, "for the pioneering discovery that fast-acting neurotransmitters mediate their effects through allosteric regulation of the neurotransmitter protein." The award was established by the Fidia Research Foundation and has been presented since 1988. NAS AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEWING a prize of $10,000 awarded an...Natural gut hormone offers hope for new obesity drug
...ormones are released when a person eats, acting as neurotransmitters to indicate to the brain to stop eating. In particular, the researchers are interested in pancreatic polypeptide (PP), which they believe may provide a solution to appetite suppression and is the most likely candidate for translating into a treatment...Genetic mechanism helps explain chronic pain disorders
...thyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine and that has been implicated in the modulation of persistent pain, as well as cognition and mood, is regulated by a gene, also called COMT. Previous UNC-led research showed that common genetic variants...Electrical activity alters language used by nerve cells
...nia and Parkinson's disease, involve problems with neurotransmitters or neurotransmitter receptors," said Nicholas Spit...g electrical activity in the adult brain can alter neurotransmitters and receptors similarly to the way we have discovered in the developing frog nervous system, it coul...ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- Dec. 13, 2006
... as roadways inside cells, pathways for delivering neurotransmitters to the tips of nerve cells, positioning chromosomes for cell division and transporting molecules. On micro-TASs, microtubules would be used as molecular tracks in the chip for filtration, dilution, separation, reactions, detection and other steps in...Botulism study could lead to new vaccines and treatments to counter bioterrorist attacks
...rom inside the nerve cell to the surface where the neurotransmitters are released. The vesicles then are reprocessed inside the neuron and replenished with neurotransmitters. The researchers found that botulinum disrupts this process by recognizing and binding to a specific protein receptor, called synaptotagmin, whic...Cocaine high caused by interference in neuronal receiving stations
... neighbors by launching bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters at them. The neurotransmitters activate protein receptors on the receiving neurons, which induce the nerve impulses in the receivin...Proteins anchor memories in our brain
...are called receptors. One of the most important neurotransmitters is named glutamate, and it binds to proteins known as "AMPA receptors," which are embedded in the dendritic spines on the receiving end of nerve cells. The AMPA receptor proteins are held in the membrane by other proteins called "scaffolding proteins...Low levels of neurotransmitter serotonin may perpetuate child abuse across generations
... to measure the metabolite concentrations of brain neurotransmitters such as serotonin every six months. They followed the infants until they became mothers themselves and studied their maternal behavior to note any abusive behaviors toward their infants. The team found that infants who became abusive as adults had a...Dopamine used to prompt nerve tissue to regrow
...circuits use electrical signals often conducted by neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) to communicate between the brain and the rest of the body, he could build neurotransmitters into the material used to repair a broken circuit. The neurotransmitters could coax the neurons in t...Research links 'ecstasy' to survival of key movement-related cells in brain
...that prompts the secretion of large amounts of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. This secretion can lead to prolonged periods of activity, hallucinations and euphoria. Before the United States banned it in 1985, MDMA was tested as a possible adjunct in psychotherapy. In 2001, t...How brain injury leads to seizures, memory problems
...er in maintaining a balance between two systems of neurotransmitters in the brain: the glutamate system and the gamma-aminobutyric acid system, abbreviated GABA(A). Glutamate stimulates neurons to fire, while GABA(A) inhibits that activity. "When lower levels of the KCC2 transporter weaken the dentate gyrus's ability ...UCLA neuroscience research leads to a possible treatment for type 1 diabetes
...tant enzyme because it synthesizes one of the main neurotransmitters for communication between neurons. Tobin's laboratory used these tools to study neuronal development in the brain. What no one knew at that time was that GAD was also made in the cells that made insulin in the pancreas -- cells that use the chemical ......s in transport by the molecular motors of chemical neurotransmitters that carry messages between nerve cells. Down syndrome, in which chromosomes do not divide properly in egg cells, also is thought to be caused by defects in kinesins. Finding methods to stimulate kinesin activity might help in the treatment of these...