Latest Neurochemistry Stories

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous...

Research in animal models focuses on area of the brain that controls emotion, social behaviorMany mental health disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, produce changes in social behavior or interactions. The frequency and/or severity of these disorders is substantially greater in boys than girls, but the biological basis for this difference between the two sexes is unknown.Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have discovered differences in the development of the...

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Devices, Inc., a leader in bioanalytical systems for drug discovery & development, life science research, and bioassay/test development, today announced that it is taking orders for its new IonWorks Barracuda(TM) Automated Patch Clamp System. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100406/SF82092LOGO) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100406/SF82092LOGO) Following the tradition of IonWorks® Systems before it, this...

Drug created by UCI, Italian team inhibits enzyme that breaks down anandamideAmerican and Italian researchers have found that a novel drug allows anandamide "“ a marijuana-like chemical in the body "“ to effectively control pain at the site of an injury.Led by Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences and director of the Center for Drug Discovery at UC Irvine, the study suggests that such compounds could form the basis of pain medications that don't produce...

Crosstalk between ion channels points to new therapeutic strategy, Penn study findsThe lab of Kevin Foskett, PhD, the Isaac Ott Professor of Physiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has found a possible new target for fighting cystic fibrosis (CF) that could compensate for the lack of a functioning ion channel in affected CF-related cells. Their finding appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.The team explored the role of CFTR, the chloride ion channel mutated...

The response time to antidepressants, such as Prozac, is around three weeks. How can we explain this? The adaptation mechanisms of the neurons to antidepressants has, until now, remained enigmatic. Research, published this week by the teams of Odile Kellermann (Inserm Unit 747 Cellules souches, Signalisation et Prions, Université Paris-Descartes) and of Jean-Marie Launay (Inserm Unit 942 Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris and the mental health network, Santé Mentale), sheds new light on...

Findings could lead to new treatment approaches in pain, deafness and cardiac functionScripps Research Institute scientists have identified two proteins with potential to be important targets for research into a wide range of health problems, including pain, deafness, and cardiac and kidney dysfunction.The study was published in Science Express, the advanced, online edition of the journal Science, on September 2, 2010.In the study, the Scripps Research scientists identify two proteins, which...

New research in the Journal of General Physiology helps explain how the body's "flight-or-fight" response is mediated. The study, which may provide new answers to the question of how the heart pacemaker"”the sinoatrial (SA) node"”is regulated, appears online on August 16 (www.jgp.org).When the body goes into "flight-or-flight" response as a reaction to stress, the increased firing rate of the SA node increases the heart rate and cardiac output to deliver more oxygen...

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical system in the brain that reacts differently in cocaine addicts, findings that could result in new treatment options for individuals addicted to the drug."We found that the amount of blood flow in areas of the brain known to be involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine and craving was different in cocaine addicts, compared with healthy subjects," said Dr. Bryon Adinoff, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern...

Findings raise the prospect of reviving the idea of CB1 receptor blockade for fighting obesity and related diseasesA second-generation experimental anti-obesity and diabetes drug has shown promise in reducing body weight in rodents just as effectively as the predecessor rimonabant while avoiding the risk of psychiatric side effects that led to the withdrawal of rimonabant from the market and stopped further development of other brain-penetrating drugs of its type.The first generation of...