First real-time view of developing neurons reveals surprises, say Stanford researchers
Scientists have believed that neurons need a long period of fine-tuning and training with other neurons before they take on their adult role. But after using new technology for the first time to watch these cells develop, a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that neurons come into this world with a good idea about what they'll become as adults. The work...One gene links newborn neurons with those that die in diseases such as Alzheimer's
In certain parts of the brain, cells called neurons go through a cycle of death and replenishment. New research from Rockefeller University's Fernando Nottebohm, Ph.D., shows that these replaceable neurons share something in common with the neurons that die in people with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: both have unusually low levels of a protein called UCHL1. "It would be ir...Researchers make surprise discovery that some neurons can transmit three signals at once
Generations of neuroscientists have been indoctrinated into believing that our senses, thoughts, feelings and movements are orchestrated by a communication network of brain cells, or neurons, each responsible for relaying one specific chemical message called a neurotransmitter. Either neurons release a neurotransmitter that excites a neighboring cell, thereby triggering an electrical discharge an...Speak up: Louder neurons form more connections
As the brain develops, neurons reach out helter-skelter forming new connections, only a small number of which take hold. How the brain chooses which connections to keep and which to prune back appears to be governed by which branches have the most electrical activity—a finding that could help to explain how early experiences guide brain development. The work, published in the April 21 issu...Most important actors in the growth process of neurons identified
Defects in the growth process of our neurons often underlie brain or nerve diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or multiple sclerosis. Scientists from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, led by Bassem Hassan, have achieved a major step in unraveling the growth process of axons, the offshoots of neurons. They have identif...Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons*
N.Y. Zachariah Department of BiomedicalSciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center This article...hNT BlueNeurons Express b-Galactosidase at High Levels
-Galactosidase at HighLevels Layton BioScience, Inc. Gilroy, California Stratagene's hNT BlueNeurons express beta-galactosidase at h...Efficient DNA transfection of primary CNS neurons using TransMessenger Transfection Reagent
QIAGEN GmbH, Hilden, Germany Primary neurons are extremely difficult to transfect, making genetic modification of neuronal cells by delivery of either siRNA or plasmid DNA challenging ( ). Recently, Krichevsky and Kosik report...Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) and Expression Profiling of Long-Range Projection Neurons
Abstract Brain tissue is notoriously heterogeneous, and accurate analysis of neural gene expression requires procurement of specific cell types. In this application note a technique is described for using Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) and in-vivo labeling to obtain purified populations of projection...Stroke Destroys Nearly 32, 000 Neurons In Just A Second!
Dr. Jeffrey L. Saver, a professor of neurology at the University of California who has been conducting three different lines of research on stroke has highlighted that more than// 32,000 neurons (brain cells) die in just a second following an acute episode of stroke. In addition, nearly 14 billion synapses (connections between nerve cells) and myelinated fibres approximating to 7.5 miles are lost...Mirror Neurons Connected To Autism
The source of empathy in the brain of a human being may also have a part to play in autism. A system of neurons is known to exist in the human brain which specialize //in the 'walking in another's shoes' function. The 'mirror neurons' are at work, when a person makes a move while watching another person. Malfunctioning mirror neurons may have a role in autistic children's social isola...Human neurons grown in the brains of mice
Researchers in San Diego have designed mice containing fully functional human nerve cells as a novel way to study and potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. // In the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, the neurons were formed in the brains of mice that had been injected with human embryonic stem cells as 2-week-old embryos. <br...Protein provides antioxidant protection to Neurons
EAAC1 protein was found to be responsible for transferring the amino acid Cysteine into neurons, which is very important for reducing oxidative stress as Cysteine present in glutathione is responsible for it’s free radical scavenging activity in brain.// Free radicals are responsible for causing diseases, which is scavenged by antioxidants. Professor Raymond Swanson and his team from Neurology an...Decision-Making Enabled By Neurons: Value Assigned To Available Choices.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have been able to pinpoint the neurons that are capable of deciphering the value that people attach// to different items. The activity of these neurons predicts the nature of decision making, when a person needs to choose from an array of items available. To quote the words of Camillo Padoa-Schioppa, PhD, HMS research fellow in neurobiology and lead...