Dealing a therapeutic counterblow to traumatic brain injury
A team of biomedical engineers are developing a therapy which shows early indications it can protect neurons and stimulate the regrowth of blood vessels in damaged tissue.
Read moreNervous System
Stem cell studies offer hope for childhood neurological condition
Two new studies report progress in using stem cells to develop new therapies for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a rare genetic condition affecting boys that can be fatal before 10 years of age.
Read moreManipulating specific brain waves in sleep shifts balance between learning or forgetting a new skill
Distinct patterns of electrical activity in the sleeping brain may influence whether we remember or forget what we learned the previous day, according to a new study. The scientists were able to influence how well rats learned a new skill by tweaking these brainwaves while animals slept, suggesting potential future applications in boosting human memory or forgetting traumatic experiences, the researchers say.
Read moreResearchers identify molecular process that could accelerate recovery from nerve injuries
Researchers have discovered a molecular process that controls the rate at which nerves grow both during embryonic development and recovery from injury throughout life.
Read moreSex-based differences in the development of brain hubs involved in memory and emotion
Researchers have uncovered sex-based differences in the development of the hippocampus and amygdala. These brain areas have been implicated in the biology of several mental disorders that impact males and females differently. The findings may help researchers better understand sex-based differences in the emergence of mental disorders during adolescence and early adulthood.
Read moreCerebral reperfusion of reading network predicts recovery of reading ability after stroke
A team of New Jersey stroke researchers has linked recovery of reading and language competence with cerebral blood flow in the left reading network. Their findings may contribute to new approaches to identifying and treating reading deficits after stroke.
Read moreMolecular motors: Rotation on an eight-shaped path
Chemical engineers have developed the first molecular motor that enables an eight-shaped movement.
Read moreEpilepsy: Function of 'brake cells' disrupted
In some forms of epilepsy, the function of certain ''brake cells'' in the brain is presumed to be disrupted. This may be one of the reasons why the electrical malfunction is able to spread from the point of origin across large parts of the brain. A current study points in this direction.
Read moreA new mechanism has been revealed which could lead to premature aging in mother cells
A new mechanism makes it possible to understand premature ageing in cells with asymmetrical cell division, as is the case with mother cells. Understanding this mechanism is useful for studying and, in the future, anticipating the development of ageing-related diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative processes.
Read moreIs this brain cell your 'mind's eye'?
No-one knows what connects awareness — the state of consciousness — with its contents, i.e. thoughts and experiences. Now researchers propose an elegant solution: a literal, structural connection via 'L5p neurons'. The group offers evidence – and caveats. Their challenge to experimentalists: if consciousness requires L5p neurons, all brain activity without them must be unconscious.
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