Latest Neuron Stories
Jackson Laboratory researchers led by Associate Professor Zhong-wei Zhang, Ph.D., have provided direct evidence that a specific neurotransmitter receptor is vital to the process of pruning synapses in the brains of newborn mammals. Faulty pruning at this early developmental stage is implicated in autism-spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. The definitive evidence for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in pruning has eluded researchers until now, but in research published in the...
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified two molecules that play an important role in the survival and production of nerve cells in the brain, including nerve cells that produce dopamine. The discovery, which is published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, may be significant in the long term for the treatment of several diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. The same scientists have previously shown that receptors known as "liver X receptors" or LXR, are necessary...
[ Watch the Video: Dragonfly on the Hunt ] redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Researchers from the University of Adelaide have uncovered the first evidence that invertebrates, like primates, have brain cells dedicated to the process of selective attention. Writing in the journal Current Biology, Dr. Steven Wiederman and associate professor David O'Carroll from the university's Centre for Neuroscience Research describe how they were able to learn that...
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Science is a magnificent thing and yet, there is still so much we don’t yet understand. For instance, scientists are still working to fully understand the part of our body that resides right in front of our face. More than 100 years ago, scientists discovered a mechanism that provides feedback from our nose to our brain. Though these scientists discovered this mechanism, they weren’t yet able to fully understand how it works to...
Cell Press [ Watch The Video ] Humans perceive numerous categories of objects and actions, but where are these categories represented spatially in the brain? Researchers reporting in the December 20 issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron present their study that undertook the remarkable task of determining how the brain maps over a thousand object and action categories when subjects watched natural movie clips. The results demonstrate that the brain efficiently represents the diversity...
When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall’s surface and make a better guess for where the switch is. Sliman Bensmaia, PhD, assistant professor of organismal biology and...
Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers from the University of Arizona recently investigated the factors behind the hot flashes that many women experience during menopause and discovered a region in the brain that could cause the uncontrollable feelings of heat that arise during the first couple of years of menopause. The team of investigators was interested in learning more about the biological mechanism behind hot flashes, which can affect both males...
MADISON, Wis., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), a leading commercial producer of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and tissue cells, today announced the publication of research demonstrating the use of human iPSC-derived iCell® Neurons to model Alzheimer's disease (AD) and how they may be used in high throughput drug screening. This research was performed by the lab of Zhong Zhong, Ph.D., head of discovery in the regenerative...
A nanomaterial engineered by researchers at Duke can help regulate chloride levels in nerve cells that contribute to chronic pain, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. The findings, published online Dec. 10, 2012, in the journal Small, were demonstrated in individual nerve cells as well as in the brains of mice and rats, and may have future applications in intracranial or spinal devices to help treat neural injuries. Carbon nanotubes are a nanomaterial with unique features, including...
BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Mike Smith from Life Extension, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla-based organization dedicated to the extension of the healthy human lifespan, returns to The SUZANNE Show this week to discuss memory loss and aging. His appearance, which is one in a series devoted to nutrition and longevity, airs Wednesday, December 12, at 7 a.m. (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121030/FL02749LOGO) Memory loss occurs...
Latest Neuron Reference Libraries
Formation and Orientation The development of the brain is broken down into stages. The basic evolution begins in the third week of the embryonic process where the neural plate is formed. By week four, the neural plate has developed into the neural tube. The anterior part of the tube, the telencephalon, grows rapidly as it prepares to later give way to the brain. As time goes on, cells begin to classify themselves as either neurons or glial cells, thus determining their functions. Glial...
