In many neurodegenerative conditions—Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and peripheral neuropathy among them—an early defect is the loss of axons, the wiring of the nervous system. When axons are ...
Mar 23, 2017
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For more than two decades, researchers have tried to regenerate the injured optic nerve using different growth factors and/or agents that overcome natural growth inhibition. But at best, these approaches get only about 1 ...
Jan 3, 2017
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Researchers have identified a new mechanism controlling brain development: that neurons not only 'smell' chemicals in their environment, but also 'feel' their way through the developing brain.
Sep 20, 2016
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Two Northwestern University neuroscientists have identified the neurochemical signal likely missing in Parkinson's disease by being the first to discover two distinctly different kinds of neurons that deliver dopamine to ...
Jul 11, 2016
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Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered a protein complex that helps direct the growth of axons—the parts of neurons that make up our nerves, connecting our senses and muscles to the brain ...
Apr 28, 2016
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As tiny embryos in the womb, we start out with a lot more neuronal material than we actually need. During development, the body drastically prunes back the excess—cutting the branches from nerve cell bodies, known as axons, ...
Feb 18, 2016
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How does the brain make connections, and how does it maintain them? Cambridge neuroscientists and mathematicians are using a variety of techniques to understand how the brain 'wires up', and what it might be able to tell ...
Feb 5, 2016
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A discovery into the mechanisms which lead to degeneration and loss of communication among neuron cells - the cells controlling function in the brain and nervous system - could potentially lead to future therapies for neurodegenerative ...
Dec 10, 2015
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It's a wonder of nature - and a darned good thing - that amid many billions of similar cells in the brain and spinal cord, neurons can extend their tendrillous axons to exactly the right place to form connections. Otherwise ...
Nov 19, 2015
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When peripheral nerves are damaged and their vital synaptic paths are disrupted, they have the ability to regenerate and reestablish lost connections. But what about when a nerve is severed completely, its original route ...
Nov 5, 2015
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