Losing the activity of a key ion channel in the brain may contribute to the buildup of a devastating and toxic protein responsible for the clumps of plaque that accumulate in Alzheimer's disease, a team of neurobiologists ...
Our brains are made of billions of neurons, which are connected forming complex networks. They communicate between themselves by sending electrical signals, known as action potentials, and chemical signals, known as neurotransmitters, ...
Apr 6, 2023
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Neurons communicate with each other via electrical impulses, which are produced by ion channels that control the flow of ions such as potassium and sodium. In a surprising new finding, MIT neuroscientists have shown that ...
Nov 10, 2021
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Within the brain, some neurons fire off hundreds of signals per second, and after ramping up for such a barrage, they need to relax and reset. A particular type of ion channel helps bring them down, ensuring these cells don't ...
Oct 5, 2015
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(Medical Xpress)—Sensory adaptation is a familiar phenomenon. Whether jumping into a cold pool, or driving through manure-laden air as you pass by a recently fertilized farm, an initially strong sensory experience generally ...
(Medical Xpress)—The smooth operation of the brain requires a certain robustness to fluctuations in its home within the body. At the same time, its extraordinary power derives from an activity structure poised at criticality. ...
For decades, scientists have dreamed of building computer systems that could replicate the human brain’s talent for learning new tasks.
Nov 15, 2011
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In Greek mythology, a water nymph's curse forces a man to stay awake or suffocate. For a rare segment of the population today, the curse is all too real. Now, a team led by University of Connecticut researchers describes ...
Jun 25, 2024
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Deep brain stimulation, by implanted electrodes that deliver electrical pulses to the brain, is often used to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. However, the electrodes used for this treatment can ...
Jun 4, 2024
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Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School have found that a new class of light-sensitive proteins are capable of turning off brain cells with light, offering scientists an unprecedentedly effective tool to investigate brain ...
May 24, 2024
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Ion channels are pore-forming proteins that help establish and control the small voltage gradient across the plasma membrane of all living cells (see cell potential) by allowing the flow of ions down their electrochemical gradient. They are present in the membranes that surround all biological cells. The study of ion channels is known as channelomics and involves many scientific techniques such as voltage clamp electrophysiology (in particular patch clamp), immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR.
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