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Neuroscience news

Medical research

Propofol shows promise in treating epilepsy by targeting HCN1 channels

The general anesthetic propofol may hold the keys to developing new treatment strategies for epilepsy and other neurological disorders, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Sweden's Linköping ...

Neuroscience

How astrocytes and perineuronal nets cooperate to sustain synaptic homeostasis

Synapses are small gaps between neurons through which signals are transmitted. This transmission of signals is what allows neurons to communicate and ultimately produce complex internal processes, such as thoughts and feelings, ...

Neuroscience

Study uncovers unique brain plasticity in people born blind

A study led by Georgetown University neuroscientists reveals that the part of the brain that receives and processes visual information in sighted people develops a unique connectivity pattern in people born blind. They say ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How adaptable to psychosocial stress is the teenage brain?

Mental illness often occurs for the first time during puberty and in young adulthood. This is because during adolescent brain development, a pronounced remodeling of cognitive networks takes place.

Neuroscience

Video: The neuroscience of fencing

To make it to the Olympics, elite athletes spend countless hours preparing not only their bodies—but their brains, as well.

Neuroscience

Immune genes are altered in Alzheimer's patients' blood

A new Northwestern Medicine study has found the immune system in the blood of Alzheimer's patients is epigenetically altered. That means the patients' behavior or environment has caused changes that affect the way their genes ...

Neuroscience

Using ion beams to improve brain microscopy

Improving the way scientists can see the microscopic structures of the brain can improve our understanding of a host of brain diseases, like Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis. Studying these diseases is challenging and has ...

Neuroscience

3D brain mapping opens a window to the aging brain

By mapping brain activity in three dimensions, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have achieved a more detailed picture of how the brain changes with age.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Network analysis provides an integrated view of multiple sclerosis

An international research team has developed a computational biology tool, based on multi-level network analysis, to achieve an integrated vision of multiple sclerosis. This tool could be used to study other complex diseases ...

Neuroscience

Insula in focus: How stress affects alcohol cravings

A randomized controlled study conducted by researchers at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim has examined the effects of stress on neural reactivity to alcohol cues and addiction behavior. The study ...

Neuroscience

Researchers find a molecular mechanism related to neuronal death

The human brain is an organ that requires 20% to 25% of the energy the body creates. This high energy demand for neuronal functions depends on the transport and precise distribution of mitochondria—the energy-generating ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Stress found to influence brain and psyche via immune system

Chronic stress has far-reaching consequences for our bodies. For example, many stress-related psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, are associated with changes in the immune system. However, the underlying mechanisms ...

Neuroscience

Scientists develop low-cost device to make cell therapy safer

A tiny device built by scientists at MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology could be used to improve the safety and effectiveness of cell therapy treatments for patients suffering from spinal cord ...