New model to study HIV latency in brain cells
Over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected by HIV. Antiviral therapies can keep the virus from multiplying. However, no drug can cure infection so far, because various cell types continue...
View ArticleScientists uncover nuclear process in the brain that may affect disease
Every brain cell has a nucleus, or a central command station. Scientists have shown that the passage of molecules through the nucleus of a star-shaped brain cell, called an astrocyte, may play a...
View ArticleGeometric study of brain cells could change strategies on Alzheimer's
Applying mathematical models used for studying the galaxies or interactions between elementary particles, researchers at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in...
View ArticleEmerging roles of glial cells in neuroscience
When we think of the brain, we often think of the amazing things it is capable of—from conjuring up wild dreams to mastering foreign languages. At the same time, we may also think of devastating...
View ArticleScientists unveil a key mechanism that could improve brain function
A research team, led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, has broken new ground in our understanding of the complex functioning of the brain. The...
View ArticleChange in the brain: Astrocytes finally getting the recognition they deserve
Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) in Japan have demonstrated that astrocytes help control the strength of connections between neurons. Published in Proceedings of the National...
View ArticleBest-selling lipid for skin and hair also holds promise for Alzheimer's
The best-selling lipid in the world, often prominently featured on skin cream and shampoo labels, appears to also hold promise for Alzheimer's treatment, scientists say.
View ArticleAstrocytes found to transfer mitochondria to neurons after stroke
(Medical Xpress)—A combined team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the U.S. and Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University in China has found that when...
View ArticleStudy implicates glial cells in fragile X syndrome
Research on fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental retardation, has focused mostly on how the genetic defect alters the functioning of neurons in the brain. A new study focusing...
View ArticleResearchers study astrocyte cells that may contribute to ALS and Alzheimer's
An achievement by UCLA neuroscientists could lead to a better understanding of astrocytes, a type of cell in the brain that is thought to play a role in Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic...
View ArticleHow brain tissue recovers after injury
A research team led by Associate Professor Mitsuharu ENDO and Professor Yasuhiro MINAMI (both from the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University) has...
View ArticleBrain cells potentiate harmful electrical discharges during stroke
In the aftermath of stroke, brain damage is exacerbated by electrical discharges. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have investigated the mechanisms of these...
View ArticleToxic brain cells may drive many neurodegenerative disorders, study finds
While most of us haven't heard of astrocytes, these cells are four times as plentiful in the human brain as nerve cells. Now, a team led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has...
View ArticleResearch reveals vital links between brain tumors and epileptic seizures
Detecting brain tumors at the earliest possible stage and eliminating them before seizures begin might be possible one day, according to research by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas...
View ArticleAstrocytes found to keep time for brain, behavior
Until recently, work on biological clocks that dictate daily fluctuations in most body functions, including core body temperature and alertness, focused on neurons, those electrically excitable cells...
View ArticlePain reliever may help relieve the vision damage of glaucoma
The tip of our optic nerve is typically the first place injured by glaucoma.
View ArticleDiscovery of new pathway in brain has implications for schizophrenia treatment
Neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a new signaling pathway that directly connects two major receptors in the brain associated with learning and memory—the...
View ArticleMotor neuron disease discovery offers new insights into potential treatment...
Scientists have discovered how certain forms of motor neuron disease begin and progress at cellular and molecular levels, revealing potential new ways to slow down or even stop this process. The team...
View ArticleA star is born: Lesser-known brain cell takes center stage
Neurons have long enjoyed the spotlight in neuroscience—and for good reason: they are incredibly important cellular actors. But, increasingly, star-shaped support cells called astrocytes are being seen...
View ArticleResearchers upend longstanding idea that astrocytes can't be differentiated...
From afar, the billions of stars in our galaxy look indistinguishable, just as the billions of star-shaped astrocytes in our brains appear the same as each other. But UCLA researchers have now revealed...
View ArticleKey component of respiratory center identified
Star-shaped cells called astrocytes are much more than simple support cells in the brain. In a new study on mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrate that they also play a key part in the...
View ArticleScientists reveal how astrocytes help neurons form successful connections
To have a good phone conversation, you need a good cellular connection. What's true for mobile phones also turns out to be true for neurons.
View ArticleInflamed support cells appear to contribute to some kinds of autism
Modeling the interplay between neurons and astrocytes derived from children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in...
View ArticleBiomarkers can reveal traumatic brain injury, even when concussions don't...
UCLA researchers have identified four biomarkers that could help doctors diagnose brain trauma and concussions through a simple blood test. The biomarkers are proteins, from brain cells called...
View ArticleStar-shaped brain cells orchestrate neural connections
Brains are made of more than a tangled net of neurons. Star-like cells called astrocytes diligently fill in the gaps between neural nets, each wrapping itself around thousands of neuronal connections...
View ArticleBrain astrocytes linked to Alzheimer's disease
Astrocytes, the supporting cells of the brain, could play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. This is...
View ArticleDeletion of a stem cell factor promotes TBI recovery in mice
UT Southwestern molecular biologists today report the unexpected finding that selectively deleting a stem cell transcription factor in adult mice promotes recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI).
View Article3-D mini brains accelerate research for repairing brain function
The Houston Methodist Research Institute is making mini brains from human stem cells that put researchers on a fast track to repair the nervous system after injury or disease of the brain and spinal cord.
View ArticleResearchers find potential path to repair multiple sclerosis-damaged nerves
Gene expression in specific cells and in specific regions can provide a more precise, neuroprotective approach than traditional treatments for neurological diseases. For multiple sclerosis,...
View ArticleScientists use gene expression to understand how astrocytes change with age
Potentially explaining why even healthy brains don't function well with age, Salk researchers have discovered that genes that are switched on early in brain development to sever connections between...
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