http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. In a serendipitous discovery, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-team-antibody-bone-marrow-stem.html Medical research Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:00:16 EST news285854572 (Medical Xpress)—In a surprise breakthrough, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute and their colleagues have found that microglia remove healthy neural progenitor cells (NPCs) through phagocytosis to control neuron production during brain development. This newly discovered mechanism keeps neuron numbers in check, preventing brain overgrowth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-microglia-neuron-production-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:49:44 EST news281180973 Despite recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of nerve injury, tissue-engineering solutions for repairing damage in the central nervous system (CNS) remain elusive, owing to the crucial and complex role played by the neural stem cell (NSC) niche. This zone, in which stem cells are retained after embryonic development for the production of new cells, exerts a tight control over many crucial tasks such as growth promotion and the recreation of essential biochemical and physical cues for neural cell differentiation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-central-nervous.html Medical research Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:41:11 EST news278671263 The production of new neurons in the adult normal cortex in response to the antidepressant, fluoxetine, is reported in a study published online this week in Neuropsychopharmacology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-induction-adult-cortical-neurogenesis-antidepressant.html Neuroscience Fri, 04 Jan 2013 09:51:46 EST news276515488 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers in China have developed a technique for reprogramming cells found in urine into neural progenitor cells that are capable of growing into neurons. In their paper published in Nature Methods, the team describes how they were able to reprogram kidney epithelial cells found in urine into neural progenitor cells that are suitable for use in studying neural diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-method-reprogramming-cells-urine-neural.html Medical research Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:30:03 EST news274347931 Professor Jose Miguel Soria, a member of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, has co-directed with Professor Manuel Monleón of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia a study on the compatibility of polymeric biomaterials in the brain and its effectiveness to favour neuroregeneration in areas with some kind of damage or brain injury.   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-biomaterials-neuroregeneration-brain-injury.html Neuroscience Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:04:38 EST news273398649 The brain's key "breeder" cells, it turns out, do more than that. They secrete substances that boost the numbers and strength of critical brain-based immune cells believed to play a vital role in brain health. This finding adds a new dimension to our understanding of how resident stem cells and stem cell transplants may improve brain function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-natural-brain-immune-cells-tissue.html Neuroscience Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:00:17 EST news270017832 Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that lack of a specific gene interrupts neural tube closure, a condition that can cause death or paralysis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scientists-neural-stem-cell.html Genetics Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:51 EST news253800045 Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a promising avenue for cell replacement therapy in neurologic diseases. For example, mouse and human iPSCs have been used to generate dopaminergic (DA) neurons that improve symptoms in rat Parkinson's disease models. Reporting in the current issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, a group of scientists from Japan evaluated the growth, differentiation, and function of human-derived iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in a primate model, elucidating their therapeutic potential. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-scientists-strategy-cell-therapy-parkinson.html Medical research Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:54:52 EST news246624878 Regenerative medicine in spinal cord injuries (SCI) is proving to help the human body create new cell and nerve connections that are severed during this type of injury. In a review of current scientific research for stem cell treatment in SCI published this month in the Springer journal Neurotheraputics, Dr. Michael Fehlings and Dr. Reaz Vawda from the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital in Ontario, Canada, provide evidence that supports researchers moving beyond the lab to conduct human clinical trials for stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-clinical-trials-stem-cell-therapy.html Neuroscience Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:46:27 EST news238157180 The embryonic nervous system is a hollow tube consisting of elongated neural progenitor cells, which extend from the inner to the outer surface of the tube. In a section inside the tube called the ventricular zone (VZ), these cells divide and produce immature neurons that migrate outwards. This involves well-characterized movements that are coupled to cell division. After a cell divides at the inner-most VZ region, the nuclei migrate to the outer region, where they synthesize new DNA before returning.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-unraveling-ins-outs-brain.html Neuroscience Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:33:40 EST news226920806 Few treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) restore function for extended periods. In a new study published today in the inaugural issue issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, an international group of researchers report that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) restored function in rodents and shows promise as a clinical candidate drug for treatment of PD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-animal-parkinson-disease-drug.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:55:32 EST news226839317