Stabilizing neuronal branching for healthy brain circuitry
Novel molecular mechanism may regulate microtubule stability, important for neuronal branching and potentially for nerve regeneration.
Read moreHealthy Aging
Kidney disease: Senescent cell burden is reduced in humans by senolytic drugs
In a small safety and feasibility clinical trial, researchers have demonstrated for the first time that senescent cells can be removed from the body using drugs termed 'senolytics.' The result was verified not only in analysis of blood but also in changes in skin and fat tissue senescent cell abundance.
Read moreExercise could slow withering effects of Alzheimer's
Exercising several times a week may delay brain deterioration in people at high risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study that scientists say merits further research to establish whether fitness can affect the progression of dementia.
Read moreNew piece of Alzheimer's puzzle found
Scientists found two short peptides, or strings of amino acids, that when injected into mice with Alzheimer's disease daily for five weeks, significantly improved the mice's memory. The treatment also reduced some of the harmful physical changes in the brain that are associated with the disease.
Read moreClues to the origin of Huntington's disease, and a new way to find drugs
Using a new technique to study brain development, scientists were able to trace the causes of Huntington's back to early developmental stages when the brain has only just begun to form.
Read moreOne way childhood trauma leads to poorer health for women
Researchers have long known that childhood trauma is linked to poorer health for women at midlife. A new study shows one important reason why. The national study of more than 3,000 women is the first to find that those who experienced childhood trauma were more likely than others to have their first child both earlier in life and outside of marriage – and that those factors were associated with poorer health later in life.
Read moreCause of rare, fatal disorder in young children pinpointed
Scientists appear to have solved a decades-long mystery regarding the precise biochemical pathway leading to a fatal genetic disorder in children that results in seizures, developmental regression and death, usually around age 3. Studying a mouse model with the same human illness — called Krabbe disease — the researchers also identified a possible therapeutic strategy.
Read moreThe happiest introverts may be extraverts
If you are an introvert, force yourself to be an extravert. You'll be happier. That's the suggestion of the first-ever study asking people to act like extraverts for a prolonged period. The benefits of extraversion have been reported before, including those of ''forced extraversion,'' but usually only for brief intervals.
Read moreDefective cilia linked to heart valve birth defects
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), the most common heart valve birth defect, is associated with genetic variation in human primary cilia during heart valve development, report researchers. Crucial to cilia development is the exocyst, which shuttles cilia cargo to the cell membrane. Disrupting the exocyst impaired ciliogenesis and caused a spectrum of cardiac defects in zebrafish and BAV in mice.
Read moreAlzheimer's disease risk gene APOE4 impairs function of brain immune cells
A study carried out with a new human stem cell-derived model reveals that the most prevalent genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD), apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), impairs the function of human brain immune cells, microglia. These findings pave the way for new, effective treatment approaches for AD.
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