A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body's own nerve cells. Cannabinoid signaling systems are common throughout the body and affect a variety of functions. Developing new therapies that modulate these molecular communications might help patients with autoimmune o
14 Vote(s)
August 7, 2010
Newly discovered mechanism controls levels and efficacy of a marijuana-like substance in the brain
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July 13, 2010
Apathy and depression predict progression from mild cognitive impairment
A new study found that apathy and depression significantly predict an individual's progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a disorder of the brain that affects nerve cells involved in thinking abilities, to dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
10 Vote(s)
10 Vote(s)
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June 14, 2010
Astrocytes affect brain’s information signaling, research finds
Astrocytes are the most common type of cell in the brain and play an important role in the function of neurons -- nerve cells. New research from Sweden shows that they are also directly involved in the regulation of signaling between neurons.
7 Vote(s)
7 Vote(s)
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June 2, 2010
New cause of cognitive decline in aging population discovered in nerve cell specializations
Researchers have found that certain types of specializations on nerve cells called "spines" are depleted as a person ages, causing cognitive decline in the part of the brain that mediates the highest levels of learning. These spines receive an important class of synapses that are involved with the process of learning.
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
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May 26, 2010
Gene variants lead to autism and mental retardation: Inner structure of nerve synapses defective in patients
Researchers in Germany have discovered previously unknown mutations in autistic and mentally impaired patients in what is known as the SHANK2 gene, a gene that is partially responsible for linking nerve cells.
13 Vote(s)
13 Vote(s)
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May 20, 2010
First drug to demonstrate therapeutic effect in a type of autism
Researchers have identified a drug that improves communication between nerve cells in a mouse model of Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS). Behavioral symptoms of PMS fall under the autism spectrum disorder category.
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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February 25, 2010
Vitamin B3 shows early promise in treatment of stroke
An early study suggests that vitamin B3 or niacin, a common water-soluble vitamin, may help improve neurological function after stroke. When rats with ischemic stroke were given niacin, their brains showed growth of new blood vessels, and sprouting of nerve cells which greatly improved neurological outcome. Now research is underway to investigate the effects of an extended-release form of niacin
10 Vote(s)
10 Vote(s)
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February 20, 2010
How nerve cells grow: Researcher decodes molecular process that controls growth of nerve cells
A brain researcher has discovered the workings of a process that had been completely overlooked until now, and that allows nerve cells in the brain to grow and form complex networks. The study shows that an enzyme which usually controls the destruction of protein components has an unexpected function in nerve cells: it controls the structure of the cytoskeleton and thus ensures that nerve cells c
5 Vote(s)
5 Vote(s)
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November 17, 2009
Religious brain, pragmatist brain
Here's a brain-scanning study with a difference. Most such tudies try to work out which parts of the brain are activated when people have religious thoughts. This new one looks at whether religious people have more or fewer nerve cells in different parts of their brains.It's by the team lead by Jordan Grafman that published a study earlier in the year on brain activation. This latest study uses d
16 Vote(s)
16 Vote(s)
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October 8, 2009
Key Mechanism In Brain Development Pinpointed, Raising Question About Use Of Antiseizure Drug
Researchers have identified a key molecular player in guiding the formation of synapses -- the all-important connections between nerve cells -- in the brain. This discovery, based on experiments in cell culture and in mice, could advance scientists' understanding of how young children's brains develop as well as point to new approaches toward countering brain disorders in adults.
16 Vote(s)
16 Vote(s)
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