Medical research

Building a better blood-brain barrier model

Delivering drugs to the brain is no easy task. The blood-brain barrier -a protective sheath of tissue that shields the brain from harmful chemicals and invaders - cannot be penetrated by most therapeutics that are injected ...

Medical research

A new role for sodium in the brain

Researchers at McGill University have found that sodium – the main chemical component in table salt – is a unique "on/off" switch for a major neurotransmitter receptor in the brain. This receptor, known as the kainate ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Is dopamine to blame for our addictions?

Most researchers agree that the key difference between human brains and those of other animals is the size and complexity of our cerebral cortex, the brain's outer layer of neural tissue. We therefore tend to focus our attention ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

New brain research suggests eating disorders impact brain function

Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise. It is poorly understood ...

Neuroscience

For a healthy brain, don't let the trash pile up

Recycling is not only good for the environment, it's good for the brain. A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.

Neuroscience

Protein imaging reveals detailed brain architecture

MIT chemical engineers and neuroscientists have developed a new way to classify neurons by labeling and imaging the proteins found in each cell. This type of imaging offers clues to each neuron's function and should help ...

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