Latest Medium spiny neuron Stories
Where the nonspecific thalamus meets the prefrontal cortex Inside the brains of mice and men alike, a relatively big football-shaped region called the thalamus acts like a switchboard, providing the prefrontal cortex, the part that does abstract thinking and decision-making, with most of its information. The thalamus's responsibility even includes helping the prefrontal cortex to maintain consciousness and arousal. Essential as this "thalamocortical" partnership is, neuroscientists have...
Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online In 1993, the autosomal dominant gene mutation responsible for Huntington’s Disease (HD) was discovered. However, no treatments are known to slow its progression. New research may pave the way to better understanding of the disease. Researchers at Johns Hopkins recently announced that they were able to produce stem cells from skin cells from a person who had severe, early-onset form of HD; the cells were then changed into neurons that...
20 mouse lines provide views of cortical GABA neurons not previously possible A team of neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has succeeded in creating what amounts to a GPS system for locating and tracking a vital class of brain cells that until now has eluded comprehensive identification, particularly in living animals. The cells in question are the class of neurons that release the neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid). GABA neurons function to...
Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive. These findings"”the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward"”were published in Science on October 15. The results may help researchers in developing new ways of treating those addicted to the drug.Led by Mary Kay Lobo, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and first author of the study, researchers...
Single neurons in the brain are surprisingly good at distinguishing different sequences of incoming information according to new research by UCL neuroscientists.The study, published today in Science and carried out by researchers based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at UCL, shows that single neurons, and indeed even single dendrites, the tiny receiving elements of neurons, can very effectively distinguish between different temporal sequences of incoming information.This...
