neurons

Mediator in communication between neurons and muscle cells found

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(Medical College of Georgia) A missing piece of the puzzle of how neurons and muscle cells establish lifelong communication has been found by researchers who suspect this piece may be mutated and/or attacked in muscular dystrophy.

Stabilizing force for good communication between neurons and mus...

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(Medical College of Georgia) Stabilizing force for good communication between neurons and muscle cells foundYou can't raise a finger without your brain directing muscle cells, and scientists have figured out another reason that usually works so well.

Types Of Genes Necessary For Brain Development Discovered

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:00:11 -0500

Researchers have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development.

Parkinson Transplants Survive At Least 16 Years

admin — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Transplanted cells to help Parkinson's patients can survive in the brain for over one and half decades. However, some of the transplanted cells developed Parkinson-like features which is very surprising. These are the main findings of a study on grafting of new neurons to the brain in patients with Parkinson's disease. 'Previous studies have shown that transplanted dopamine cells can clearly improve speed of movement, reduce rigidity and the need for medication for at least a decade', says a Neurobiology professor involved with the research.

Identification Of Dopamine 'Mother Cells' Could Lead To Future P...

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0500

"Mother cells" which produce the neurons affected by Parkinson's disease have been identified by scientists. The new discovery could pave the way for future treatments for the disease, including the possibility of growing new neurons, and the cells which support them, in the lab. Scientists hope these could then be transplanted into patients to counteract the damage caused by Parkinson's.

Fetal Cells Used To Treat Parkinson's Disease May Not Function L...

admin — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Neurons grafted into the brain of a patient with Parkinson's disease fourteen years ago have developed Lewy body pathology, the defining pathology for the disease, according to new research in Nature Medicine.

Humans Have More Distinctive Hearing Than Animals, Study Shows

admin — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:00:00 -0500

Do humans hear better than animals? It is known that various species of land and water-based living creatures are capable of hearing some lower and higher frequencies than humans are capable of detecting. However, scientists have now for the first time demonstrated how the reactions of single neurons give humans the capability of detecting fine differences in frequencies better than animals.

Epilepsy Marked By Neural 'Hub' Network

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:00:00 -0500

An increased number of neuron "hubs" in the epileptic brain may be the root cause for the seizures that characterize the disorder, according to a new study. Scientists have identified that these hubs -- a small number of highly connected neurons -- are formed in the hippocampus during the transition from a healthy brain to an epileptic one.

Signaling System That Halts The Growth Of A Childhood Brain Canc...

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

A new discovery suggests a safer way to treat medulloblastoma, a rare but often fatal childhood brain tumor. Researchers discovered that proteins BMP2, BMP4 and BMP7 inhibit the growth of medulloblastoma tumors, while inducing malignant cells to develop into normal neurons, a finding that may lead to better treatments for the cancer.