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Effects of stress on brain cells offer clues to new anti-depressant drugs

Research from King's College London reveals the detailed mechanism behind how stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells - a process considered to be linked to depression. The researchers identified a key protein ...

Neuroscience created May 06, 2013 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Signature of circulating breast tumor cells that spread to the brain found

Some breast tumor circulating cells in the bloodstream are marked by a constellation of biomarkers that identify them as those destined to seed the brain with a deadly spread of cancer, said researchers led by those at Baylor ...

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Moving cells with light holds medical promise

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion ...

Medical research created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genome wide study identifies genetic variants associated with childhood obesity

Researchers have identified four genes newly associated with severe childhood obesity. They also found an increased burden of rare structural variations in severely obese children.

Genetics created Apr 07, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Is a better sleeping pill on the way?

(HealthDay)—A new class of sleep medications appears to help people fall asleep without causing grogginess the next day, researchers say.

Medical research created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Study reveals how serotonin receptors can shape drug effects from LSD to migraine medication

A team including scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined and analyzed the high-resolution ...

Medical research created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Chemical reaction keeps stroke-damaged brain from repairing itself

Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases ...

Medical research created Feb 04, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists learn more about how inhibitory brain cells get excited

Scientists have found an early step in how the brain's inhibitory cells get excited.

Neuroscience created Jan 30, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

First image of insulin 'docking' could lead to better diabetes treatments

A landmark discovery about how insulin docks on cells could help in the development of improved types of insulin for treating both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes created Jan 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers provide definitive proof for receptor's role in synapse development

Jackson Laboratory researchers led by Associate Professor Zhong-wei Zhang, Ph.D., have provided direct evidence that a specific neurotransmitter receptor is vital to the process of pruning synapses in the brains of newborn ...

Neuroscience created Dec 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find new culprit in castration-resistant prostate cancer

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered a molecular switch that enables advanced prostate cancers to spread without stimulation by male hormones, which normally are needed to spur the cancer's growth. They ...

Cancer created Dec 13, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

How our sense of touch is a lot like the way we hear

(Medical Xpress)—When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted ...

Neuroscience created Dec 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Study finds protein in platelets fight malaria but only for some people

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers in Australia have found that a protein in platelets found naturally in blood has a protective effect against malaria. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes how th ...

Medical research created Dec 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Microchoreography: Researchers use synthetic molecule to guide cellular 'dance'

(Medical Xpress)—Johns Hopkins researchers have used a small synthetic molecule to stimulate cells to move and change shape, bypassing the cells' usual way of sensing and responding to their environment. ...

Medical research created Dec 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Patient's own immune cells may blunt viral therapy for brain cancer

Doctors now use cancer-killing viruses to treat some patients with lethal, fast-growing brain tumors. Clinical trials show that these therapeutic viruses are safe but less effective than expected.

Cancer created Nov 25, 2012 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Receptor (biochemistry)

In biochemistry, a receptor is a protein molecule, embedded in either the plasma membrane or cytoplasm of a cell, to which a mobile signaling (or "signal") molecule may attach. A molecule which binds to a receptor is called a "ligand," and may be a peptide (such as a neurotransmitter), a hormone, a pharmaceutical drug, or a toxin, and when such binding occurs, the receptor undergoes a conformational change which ordinarily initiates a cellular response. However, some ligands merely block receptors without inducing any response (e.g. antagonists). Ligand-induced changes in receptors result in physiological changes which constitute the biological activity of the ligands.

For more information about Receptor (biochemistry), read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Related topics: cells , protein , brain , molecules , nerve cells