A change of heart: Researchers reprogram brain cells to become heart cells
For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers...
View ArticleRresearch improves diagnosis and potential treatment of neuromyelitis optica
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified critical steps leading to myelin destruction in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a debilitating neurological disease that is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple...
View ArticleOnce considered mainly 'brain glue,' astrocytes' power revealed
A type of cell plentiful in the brain, long considered mainly the stuff that holds the brain together and oft-overlooked by scientists more interested in flashier cells known as neurons, wields more...
View ArticleAstrocytes found to bridge gap between global brain activity and localized...
Global network activity in the brain modulates local neural circuitry via calcium signaling in non-neuronal cells called astrocytes (Fig. 1), according to research led by Hajime Hirase of the RIKEN...
View ArticleNeuron-nourishing cells appear to retaliate in Alzheimer's
When brain cells start oozing too much of the amyloid protein that is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, the astrocytes that normally nourish and protect them deliver a suicide package instead,...
View ArticleResearchers develop new drug that blocks traumatic memories
Understanding memory is still one of the greatest challenges in science. In recent years, no one doubted the role that neurons played in the formation of cerebral networks. A few years ago however, the...
View ArticleTaking the fate of stem cells in hand: Researchers generate immature nerve cells
German biologists have deliberately transformed stem cells from the spinal cord of mice into immature nerve cells. This was achieved by changing the cellular environment, known as the extracellular...
View ArticleA new starring role for astrocytes
Astrocytes, previously thought of as helper cells for neurons, have recently been shown to send signals themselves. The signals are chemical not electrical and astrocytes send them to neurons, vascular...
View ArticleStem cell therapy for spinal cord injury
Stem cells are considered promising agents for the recovery of spinal cord injuries. European scientists explore their abilities and plan future therapeutic strategies.
View ArticleStudy finds diabetes raises levels of proteins linked to Alzheimer's features
Growing evidence suggests that there may be a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, but the physiological mechanisms by which diabetes impacts brain function and cognition are not fully...
View ArticleMetabolic patterns of propofol, sevoflurane differ in children
(HealthDay)—For children undergoing routine anesthesia for medically indicated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the metabolic signature varies with use of sevoflurane and propofol, according to a...
View ArticleDiscovery may help nerve regeneration in spinal injury
Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Glasgow have uncovered a possible new method of enhancing nerve repair in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.
View ArticleTeam inhibits Alzheimer's biomarkers in animal model by targeting astrocytes
A research team composed of University of Kentucky researchers has published a paper which provides the first direct evidence that activated astrocytes could play a harmful role in Alzheimer's disease....
View ArticleModel for brain signaling flawed, new study finds
A new study out today in the journal Science turns two decades of understanding about how brain cells communicate on its head. The study demonstrates that the tripartite synapse – a model long accepted...
View ArticleProviding brain cells with the 3rd dimension to grow outside the body
Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology developed a unique Bioactive3D culture system for brain cells. This system gives new possibilities to study...
View ArticleModeling Alzheimer's disease using iPSCs
Working with a group from Nagasaki University, a research group at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Japan's Kyoto University has announced in the Feb. 21 online publication of...
View ArticleResearchers find that alcohol consumption damages brain's support cells
Alcohol consumption affects the brain in multiple ways, ranging from acute changes in behavior to permanent molecular and functional alterations. The general consensus is that in the brain, alcohol...
View ArticleEnvironmental enrichment important factor impacting cell transplantation and...
A team of Korean researchers investigated whether "environmental enrichment" can improve the neurobehavioral function of six week-old mice after transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to...
View ArticleCellular environment controls formation and activity of neuronal connections
Environment moulds behaviour - and not just that of people in society, but also at the microscopic level. This is because, for their function, neurons are dependent on the cell environment, the...
View ArticleAlzheimer's, schizophrenia, and autism now can be studied with mature brain...
Difficult-to-study diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and autism now can be probed more safely and effectively thanks to an innovative new method for obtaining mature brain cells called...
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