Neuroscience

Chapel Hill, NC — We humans lose mental acuity, an unfortunate side effect of ageing. And for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the loss of cognitive function often accompanied by mood disorders such as anxiety is a harrowing experience. One way to push back against cognitive decline and anxiety would be […]

Barcelona, Spain — Human Brain Project researchers have used whole-brain virtual models to simulate what happens when neurostimulation is applied to ageing human brains. These models provide new insight into how the dynamics of a healthy brain change as it grows old, and crucially, could help identify new targets and strategies for therapeutic neurostimulation. As […]

Boca Raton, FL — Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common type of neck surgery that involves removing a damaged disc to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve root and thereby alleviate associated pain, numbness, weakness or tingling. The damaged disc is removed from between two vertebral bones along with simultaneous […]

Kyoto, Japan — A new study reports that immune cell responses to bacteria affect the intrinsic excitability of rat neuronal subtypes differently. The findings have implications for neural network control, including irregularities that lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders. If a neuron can be viewed as a battery that stores and discharges electricity, then its […]

Augusta, GA — A little-studied enzyme has been found in high levels in healthy neurons, levels that scientists say decline with age and more dramatically with Alzheimer’s, making adjusting the enzyme’s level a potential treatment for both. The enzyme is called HDAC9, a member of a class of enzymes involved in how tightly our DNA […]

Chapel Hill, NC – The amygdala is a small structure deep in the brain important for interpreting the social and emotional meaning of sensory input – from recognizing emotion in faces to interpreting fearful images that inform us about potential dangers in our surroundings. Historically the amygdala has been thought to play a prominent role […]

Bern, Switzerland — Exposure to stress activates a group of natural physiological and cerebral responses that orchestrate the necessary behavioural changes for facing threats to one’s life, such as fleeing or fighting when confronted by a potential aggressor. Exposure to situations of intense or repeated stress can nonetheless have insidious effects and trigger psychiatric problems characterized by […]

Los Angeles, CA — As scientists work toward finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, one line of research that has emerged focuses on mitochondria, the structures within cells that make energy. The health of those structures is maintained through a quality control system that balances two opposite processes: fission — one mitochondrion splitting in two […]

Augusta, GA — Deep in the brain a group of large neurons produce a hormone which prompts our bodies to hold onto more fluid and increase blood pressure. Scientists say these neurons play a critical role in enabling our bodies to maintain healthy homeostasis by using this skill set to efficiently eliminate the excessive salt […]

Champaign, IL — Researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe – the most common type of epilepsy – discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. The compound, known as TC-2153, lessened the severity of seizures in mice. The scientists report their findings in the […]

Huddersfield, UK — Huddersfield researchers were among the first to demonstrate how the induction of brain inflammation accounts for neurological damage in COVID19 patients and now, their findings have been published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Molecular Neurobiology. The study, led by the University of Huddersfield’s Dr. Mayo Olajide, describes how the spike protein used […]

Montreal, QC, Canada — Psychedelics are now a rapidly growing area of neuroscience and clinical research, one that may produce much-needed new therapies for disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Yet there is still a lot to know about how these drug agents alter states of consciousness. In the world’s largest study on psychedelics and […]