Research gauges neurodegeneration tied to FXTAS by measuring motor behavior
Researchers used a grip-force test to analyze sensorimotor function in people with the FMR1 premutation, with the aim of determining FXTAS risk and severity.
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Male and female mice have different brain cells
Scientists discover that a brain region known to control sex and violence contains rare cell types that differ in male versus female mice.
Read moreBARseq builds a better brain map
A brain mapping technique called BARseq is capable of mapping thousands of neurons in a single mouse, at single neuron resolution, while also detailing which neuron expresses what genes. It could be a game-changer for how neuroscientists look at brains.
Read moreEmbryo's early development revealed in a dish
Bioscientists develop a method to observe patterns of early embryonic development, during which ectodermal cells diverge toward their fates as skin, organs and the nervous system.
Read moreHow hunger makes food tastier: A neural circuit in the hypothalamus
Using optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques, researchers have identified brain circuits underlying hunger-induced changes in the preferences for sweet and aversive tastes in mice. These circuits involved Agouti-related peptide-expressing neurons, which projected to glutamate neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. From there, glutamate neurons projecting to the lateral septum increased sweetness preferences, and glutamate neurons projecting to the lateral habenula decreased sensitivity to aversive tastes.
Read moreGlowing particles in the blood may help diagnose and monitor brain cancer
A chemical that has improved surgeries for brain cancer by making tumor cells fluorescent may also help doctors safely diagnose the disease and monitor its response to treatment.
Read moreWhy bright light keeps us awake
Researchers are reporting a novel technique for tracing the activity of individual nerve fibers known as axons, and determining how neurons communicate. The team used this technique to uncover details about how the brain responds to light signals received by the retina in mice.
Read moreThe brain does not follow the head
The human brain is about three times the size of the brains of great apes. This has to do, among other things, with the evolution of novel brain structures that enabled complex behaviors such as language and tool production. A study by anthropologists now shows that changes in the brain occurred independent of evolutionary rearrangements of the braincase.
Read moreReceptor complexes on the assembly line
Researchers decipher assembly of glutamate receptors and its importance for memory formation.
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