Northwestern Medicine investigators have identified how a calcium channel in the nervous system contributes to brain inflammation, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Sep 15, 2023
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A new study shows that the activation of the brain's immune defense cells—astrocytes—in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease could be tracked early with a brain PET scanner and is linked to changes that can be detected ...
Sep 12, 2023
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A research team from University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Wyss Center, has discovered a new type of cell essential for brain function. Hybrid in composition and function, in between the two types of brain cells known so ...
Sep 6, 2023
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Sleep is known to support the proper functioning of body, including the brain, allowing it to rest, recover, and recharge. While countless neuroscientists and medical researchers have been trying to better understand this ...
The social behavior of animals has been the key focus of extensive neuroscience and biomedical studies, as it is often aligned with behaviors observed in humans. Better understanding these behaviors and the neural processes ...
New animal research suggests that little-studied brain cells known as astrocytes are major players in controlling sleep need and may someday help humans go without sleep for longer without negative consequences such as mental ...
Aug 17, 2023
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Childhood neglect and/or abuse can induce extreme stress that significantly changes neural networks and functions during growth. This can lead to mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia, but the exact mechanism ...
Aug 4, 2023
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Astrocytes are a type of glial cell in the central nervous system that clear excess neurotransmitters, promote the formation of synapses (i.e., connections between neurons), and perform other functions. The development of ...
To enjoy the scent of morning coffee and freshly baked cookies or to perceive the warning smell of something burning, the brain needs two types of cells, neurons and astrocytes, to work closely with each other. Research has ...
Jun 15, 2023
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Scientists have created one of the most detailed 3D images of the synapse, the important juncture where neurons communicate with each other through an exchange of chemical signals. These nanometer-scale models will help scientists ...
Jun 14, 2023
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Astrocytes (etymology: astron gk. star, cyte gk. cell), also known collectively as astroglia, are characteristic star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. They perform many functions, including biochemical support of endothelial cells that form the blood–brain barrier, provision of nutrients to the nervous tissue, maintenance of extracellular ion balance, and a role in the repair and scarring process of the brain and spinal cord following traumatic injuries.
Research since the mid-1990s has shown that astrocytes propagate intercellular Ca2+ waves over long distances in response to stimulation, and, similar to neurons, release transmitters (called gliotransmitters) in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Data suggest that astrocytes also signal to neurons through Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate. Such discoveries have made astrocytes an important area of research within the field of neuroscience.
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