brain cells

(Ohio State University) Scientists have identified a relationship between two proteins in the brain that has links to both nicotine addiction and autism.

The finding has led to speculation that existing drugs used to curb nicotine addiction might serve as the basis for potential therapies to alleviate the symptoms of autism.

The discovery identified a defining role for a protein made by the neurexin-1 gene, which is located in brain cells and assists in connecting neurons as part of the brain's chemical communication system.

A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed.

An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

(Emory University) A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed.

An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a new method for developing treatments for Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

They have shown that by stimulating a brain cell called a microglia the cells will partially engulf the senile plaques which are abundant in post mortem AD brain.

If a stroke patient doesn't get treatment within three hours, there's not much doctors can do to limit damage.

But now researchers report a technique that potentially could restore functions to patients weeks or even months after a stroke.

The technique involves jumpstarting the growth of nerve fibers to compensate for brain cells destroyed by the stoke.

A major question surrounding Alzheimer's disease -- whether and how amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients actually damage neurons -- may be closer to an answer.

Using an advanced imaging technique, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease found that levels of intracellular calcium are significantly elevated in neurons close to Alzheimer's plaques in a mouse model and showed how excess calcium may interfere with neuronal signals and cause cell death.

Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a new study has shown.

Scientists have learned important details illustrating how neuronal cells in the brain communicate at a microcellular level.

Such knowledge may help in the development of drug compounds used to treat disorders caused by malfunctions in communication between brain cells, such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

(University of Rochester Medical Center) Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells known as glial progenitor cells that are important to brain health as we age, scientists have found.

The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia.

(Rutgers University) Rutgers researcher Karl Herrup and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein that suppresses cell division in brain cells effectively "puts the brakes" on the dementia that comes with Alzheimer's disease.

When the brakes fail, dementia results. This discovery could open the door to new ways of treating Alzheimer's disease, which affects up to half the population over the age of 85.