http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by abnormal proteins that stick together in little globs, disrupting cognitive function (thinking, learning, and memory). These sticky proteins are mostly made up of beta-amyloid peptide. A better understanding of these proteins, how they form, and how they affect brain function will no doubt improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-enzyme-disrupting-nerve-cell-alzheimer.html Medical research Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:00:01 EST news232637629 Gardeners know that some trees require regular pruning: some of their branches have to be cut so that others can grow stronger. The same is true of the developing brain: cells called microglia prune the connections between neurons, shaping how the brain is wired, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, discovered. Published online today in Science, the findings could one day help understand neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-gardening-brain-specialist-cells-prune.html Medical research Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:01:05 EST news230479251 (Medical Xpress) -- New findings in mice suggest that the timing when the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is released in the brain’s hippocampus may play a key role in regulating the strength of nerve cell connections, called synapses. Understanding the complex nature of neuronal signaling at synapses could lead to better understanding of learning and memory, and novel treatments for relevant disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-scientists-mechanism-important-memory.html Neuroscience Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:28:20 EST news229843685 (Medical Xpress) -- University of Michigan researcher Gabrielle Rudenko and her Life Sciences Institute lab have solved the structure of a protein that is implicated in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and mental retardation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-revealed-protein-implicated-autism-similar.html Medical research Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:45:27 EST news229329904 Just like human teenagers, fruit flies that spend a day buzzing around the "fly mall" with their companions need more sleep. That's because the environment makes their brain circuits grow dense new synapses and they need sleep to dial back the energy needs of their stimulated brains, according to a new study by UW- Madison sleep researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-flies-enriched.html Medical research Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:30 EST news228055592 Have a tough time remembering where you put your keys, learning a new language or recalling names at a cocktail party? New research from the Lisman Laboratory at Brandeis University points to a molecule that is central to the process by which memories are stored in the brain. A paper published in the June 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience describes the new findings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-memory-molecule-key-protein-complex.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:56:45 EST news228048989 A University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has solved a 25-year mystery that may lead to better treatments for people with learning deficits and mental retardation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-membrane-protein-mystery.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:06 EST news226752886 (PhysOrg.com) -- New research by scientists in Arizona in the US has demonstrated that an enzyme makes the body remember and remain sensitive to pain after an injury has healed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-protein-pain.html Neuroscience Fri, 13 May 2011 06:40:01 EST news224480455 Grappling with a question that has defied scientific explanation for decades, a small team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine offers the first evidence-based model to explain how certain proteins in neurons travel from the central body of the cell (where they are made) down its axon to the terminal synapse – the junction where neurons communicate with each other. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-road-synapse-neuronal-proteins-terminal.html Neuroscience Wed, 11 May 2011 12:38:11 EST news224336192 Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular wrecking ball that powers the demolition phase of a cycle that occurs at synapses — those specialized connections between nerve cells in the brain — and whose activity appears critical for both limiting and enhancing learning and memory. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-scientists-thunder-protein-memory-formation.html Medical research Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:37:25 EST news222007024