Nervous System News

December 5, 2023

Top Headlines

Dec. 5, 2023 — While anger and aggression are instinctive behaviors found across many species, leaving these emotions unchecked can lead to conflict and violence. In a recent study, researchers demonstrated that neuronal-glial interactions in the cerebellum ...

Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain's Dopaminergic System

Dec. 5, 2023 — A new organoid model of the dopaminergic system sheds lights on its intricate functionality and potential implications for Parkinson's disease. The model replicates the dopaminergic system's structure, connectivity, and ...

This Is How Protein Aggregates Can Trigger Neurodegenerative Diseases

Dec. 4, 2023 — Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the deposition of clumped proteins in the brain and progressive neuronal cell death. Although the causal link between protein aggregates and neurodegeneration is clear, it is still unclear in what way ...

New Study Maps Ketamine's Effects on Brain

Dec. 4, 2023 — A mouse study found that the drug ketamine can alter the brain's dopamine system, boosting the case for more targeted medical ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:00pm EST

Salty Immune Cells Surrounding the Brain Linked to Hypertension-Induced Dementia

Dec. 4, 2023 — A study suggests that the response of immune system cells inside the protective covering surrounding the brain may contribute to the cognitive ...

Brain Waves Usually Found in Sleep Can Protect Against Epileptic Activity

Nov. 30, 2023 — Slow waves that usually only occur in the brain during sleep are also present during wakefulness in people with epilepsy and may protect against increased brain excitability associated with the ...

Combined Use of Alcohol and THC Can Affect Rat Brains, Study Finds

Nov. 30, 2023 — The increased legalization of cannabis over the past several years can potentially increase its co-use with alcohol. Concerningly, very few studies have looked at the effects of these two drugs when ...

Distinct Brain Activity Triggered by Memories of Trauma

Nov. 30, 2023 — It is well known that people who have lived through traumatic events like sexual assault, domestic abuse, or violent combat can experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including ...

Lost Brain Function Restored in Mice After Stroke

Nov. 30, 2023 — Researchers have succeeded in restoring lost brain function in mouse models of stroke using small molecules that in the future could potentially be developed into a stroke recovery ...

Soccer Heading Linked to Measurable Decline in Brain Function

Nov. 29, 2023 — New research links soccer heading -- where players hit the ball with their head -- to a measurable decline in the microstructure and function of the brain over a two-year ...

Eye-Safe Laser Technology to Diagnose Traumatic Brain Injury

Nov. 29, 2023 — Researchers have designed and developed a novel diagnostic device to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) by shining a safe laser into the ...

Fat Cells Help Repair Damaged Nerves

Nov. 28, 2023 — Damage to the body's peripheral nerves can cause pain and movement disorders. Researchers have recently investigated how damaged nerves can regenerate better. They found that fat tissue strongly ...

Repairing Nerve Cells After Injury and in Chronic Disease

Nov. 28, 2023 — Researchers discovered a mechanism for repairing damaged nerves during peripheral neuropathy in mice, wherein the protein Mitf orchestrates nerve repair after both trauma-induced and chronic nerve ...

Getting to the Root of Visceral Gut Pain

Nov. 21, 2023 — Researchers have uncovered a reason that may explain why visceral pain is so common in conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. This understanding could inspire new and better ways to alleviate that ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Heart Over Head? Stages of the Heart's Cycle Affect Neural Responses

Nov. 28, 2023 — Optimal windows exist for action and perception during the 0.8 seconds of a heartbeat, according to new research. The sequence of contraction and relaxation is linked to changes in the motor system ...

Early-Stage Stem Cell Therapy Trial Shows Promise for Treating Progressive MS

Nov. 27, 2023 — An international team has shown that the injection of a type of stem cell into the brains of patients living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) is safe, well tolerated and has a long-lasting ...

Lowering a Form of Brain Cholesterol Reduces Alzheimer's-Like Damage in Mice

Nov. 22, 2023 — Researchers have found that a form of cholesterol known as cholesteryl esters builds up in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's-like disease, and that clearing out the cholesteryl esters helps ...

From the First Bite, Our Sense of Taste Helps Pace Our Eating

Nov. 22, 2023 — When you eagerly dig into a long-awaited dinner, signals from your stomach to your brain keep you from eating so much you'll regret it -- or so it's been ...

Our Brains Are Not Able to 'Rewire' Themselves, Despite What Most Scientists Believe, New Study Argues

Nov. 21, 2023 — Contrary to the commonly-held view, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to compensate for the loss of sight, an amputation or stroke, for example, say scientists. The researchers ...

Hearing Loss Is Associated With Subtle Changes in the Brain

Nov. 21, 2023 — A team of researchers employed hearing tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether hearing impairment is associated with differences in specific brain regions and affects dementia ...

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: Scientists Produce Human Norepinephrine Neurons from Stem Cells

Nov. 17, 2023 — Researchers have identified a protein key to the development of a type of brain cell believed to play a role in disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and used the discovery to ...

Hunger Hormones Impact Decision-Making Brain Area to Drive Behavior

Nov. 16, 2023 — A hunger hormone produced in the gut can directly impact a decision-making part of the brain in order to drive an animal's behavior, finds a new ...

How a Mutation in Microglia Elevates Alzheimer's Risk

Nov. 16, 2023 — A new study finds that microglia with mutant TREM2 protein reduce brain circuit connections, promote inflammation and contribute to Alzheimer's pathology in other ...

New Therapeutic Strategy to Reduce Neuronal Death in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Nov. 16, 2023 — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons in the brain and spinal cord causing loss of muscle control. Scientists have now suggested a potential ...

Study Reveals Broader Impact of Alzheimer's on Brain Function

Nov. 16, 2023 — Scientists have published new evidence that shows changes in brain network patterns that occur in early-stage Alzheimer's disease differ from those associated with normal aging. The findings ...

Smaller Hippocampus Linked to Cognitive Decline

Nov. 16, 2023 — With the rise of new drugs that can target the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, new ways are needed to determine whether memory loss and thinking ...

Tau-Ting the Importance of Protein Mapping

Nov. 14, 2023 — Researchers have shown how the tau protein, known for its role in dementias, behaves where communication in the brain takes ...

Hormonal Contraceptives in Teens May Alter Risk Assessment, Rat Study Suggests

Nov. 13, 2023 — Hormonal contraceptives taken by adolescents may influence development of the brain in a way that alters the recognition of risks, a new study in rats ...

Anesthesia Blocks Sensation by Cutting Off Communication Within the Cortex

Nov. 8, 2023 — Under propofol general anesthesia, sensory input still reaches the brain, but signals do not spread. A new study suggests consciousness requires cortical regions to all be 'on the same ...

Brain Implant May Enable Communication from Thoughts Alone

Nov. 6, 2023 — A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of neuroscientists, neurosurgeons and engineers can translate a person's brain signals into what they're trying to say. The new ...

Location of Strong Sense of Discomfort in Brain Found

Nov. 6, 2023 — Researchers have identified a new neural circuit in the brain which produces a strong sense of discomfort when activated. The discovery also allows them to show for the first time that the ...

First Wireless Map of Worm's Nervous System Revealed

Nov. 6, 2023 — A huge step forward in understanding how neurons communicate through extremely short proteins called neuropeptides will help scientists understand how our emotions and mental states are controlled, ...

One Sleepless Night Can Rapidly Reverse Depression for Several Days

Nov. 2, 2023 — Most people who have pulled an all-nighter are all too familiar with that 'tired and wired' feeling. Although the body is physically exhausted, the brain feels slap-happy, loopy and almost ...

New Branch of Oncology, Cancer Neuroscience, Offers Hope for Hard-to-Treat Brain Tumors

Nov. 2, 2023 — To drive their growth, many tumors hijack nervous system signals, including those needed for brain ...

Tuesday, November 28, 2023