Neuroscience

Synapse 'protection' signal found; helps to refine brain circuits

The developing brain is constantly forming new connections, or synapses, between nerve cells. Many connections are eventually lost, while others are strengthened. In 2012, Beth Stevens, Ph.D. and her lab at Boston Children's ...

Neuroscience

When neurons turn against themselves

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare autoimmune disease that primarily affects children and can lead to seizures. As the disease is resistant to drug treatments, it frequently requires surgical interventions to remove or disconnect ...

Neuroscience

Often overlooked glial cell is key to learning and memory

Glial cells surround neurons and provide support—not unlike hospital staff and nurses supporting doctors to keep operations running smoothly. These often-overlooked cells, which include oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Researchers successfully reverse Alzheimer's disease in mouse model

A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute have found that gradually depleting an enzyme called BACE1 completely reverses the formation of amyloid plaques in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's ...

Autism spectrum disorders

In autism, too many brain connections may be at root of condition

A defective gene linked to autism influences how neurons connect and communicate with each other in the brain, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Rodents that lack the gene form ...

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