Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Research findings on the links between air pollution and neurodegeneration

There is growing awareness that air pollutants are playing a critical role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

22 Jun 2021

New human organoid mimics the earliest developmental steps of the nervous system in embryos

The progression from a round ball of cells to an embryo with a head and a tail is one of the most critical steps in an organism's development. But just how cells first start organizing themselves with directionality along this head-to-tail axis is hard to study because it happens in the earliest days of embryonic development, in the confines of a mammal's uterus.

22 Jun 2021

New method accurately detects virulent infections in advance

When viruses infect cells, changes in the cell nucleus occur, and these can be observed through fluorescence microscopy.

21 Jun 2021

New breakthrough could lead to a cure for common childhood cancer

Scientists studying a common childhood cancer have made a major breakthrough which could lead to a cure for some youngsters who would not have survived the condition.

21 Jun 2021

Novel interactions between proteins play a critical role in the brain injury recovery process

Patients with brain injury (caused by stroke or trauma) primarily rely on rehabilitation therapy for recovery, as there are no other known effective treatment methods. The rate of recovery from brain injury observed in adults is significantly slower (or the recovery is impossible) than that observed in young children.

21 Jun 2021

Controlling brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light

A study led by researchers from IBEC and IDIBAPS achieves, for the first time, the control of brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light, named PAI.

18 Jun 2021

Alarming COVID study indicates long-term loss of gray matter and other brain tissue

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv* by Prof. Gwenaëlle Douaud et al. (June 15th, 2021), participants that had taken part in a brain study prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were invited back for a series of follow-up tests, revealing significant losses of grey matter surrounding the olfactory and gustatory system in those that had been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Jun 2021

New details on transport protein could help develop drugs for neurological diseases

New details on the structure and function of a transport protein could help researchers develop drugs for neurological diseases that are better able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

18 Jun 2021

The role of natural killer cells in fight against viral infections including SARS-CoV-2

In an effort to further understand the role of NK cells in combatting COVID-19, a group of researchers explored NK cells in acute viral infections, citing flavivirus and influenza virus infections as examples.

17 Jun 2021

MicroRNAs in urine could be a promising biomarker to diagnose brain tumors, study reveals

A recent study by Nagoya University researchers revealed that microRNAs in urine could be a promising biomarker to diagnose brain tumors.

17 Jun 2021

New optic nerve stimulation protocol develops personalized visual signals to help the blind

Stimulation of the nervous system with neurotechnology has opened up new avenues for treating human disorders, such as prosthetic arms and legs that restore the sense of touch in amputees, prosthetic fingertips that provide detailed sensory feedback with varying touch resolution, and intraneural stimulation to help the blind by giving sensations of sight.

17 Jun 2021

Researchers identify specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex

A tickle in the nose can help trigger a sneeze, expelling irritants and disease-causing pathogens. But the cellular pathways that control the sneeze reflex go far beyond the sinuses and have been poorly understood.

16 Jun 2021

Study may offer an unexpected pathway for targeted treatment of brain tumors

In a new study led by Yale Cancer Center, researchers show the nucleoside transporter ENT2 may offer an unexpected path to circumventing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enabling targeted treatment of brain tumors with a cell-penetrating anti-DNA autoantibody.

15 Jun 2021

Novel biomarker effectively detects Alzheimer's disease before symptoms emerge

A newly developed radiotracer can measure increases in brain tau at least a year prior to the emergence of other symptoms.

15 Jun 2021

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae. According to research, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients often suffer from neurological disorders like strokes, lost taste or smell, memory loss, confusion, and delirium.

13 Jun 2021

HEPA air purifier can significantly reduce airborne COVID-19 particles

As COVID-19 restrictions ease nationwide and more people host indoor gatherings, investing in a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier might not be a bad idea, says a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher.

11 Jun 2021

Compound may block COVID-19 virus from entering lung cells, study reports

Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that Elovanoids, bioactive chemical messengers made from omega-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids discovered by the Bazan lab in 2017, may block the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering cells and protect the air cells (alveoli) of the lung.

10 Jun 2021

Common antidepressant drugs help the immune system to attack tumors in mice

A class of drug called monoamine oxidase inhibitors is commonly prescribed to treat depression; the medications work by boosting levels of serotonin, the brain's "happiness hormone."

10 Jun 2021

Nose-to-brain: Nasal delivery of biopharmaceuticals to the brain

Placing medications as close as possible to the site of the disease: This sounds completely believable in theory, but is unfortunately not so simple in practice. While this works well for many drugs via the bloodstream or the digestive tract, it does not apply to the brain.

9 Jun 2021

Research clarifies neuron-specific DNA methylation changes and characteristics in bipolar disorder

A research collaboration based in Kumamoto University, Japan has revealed the DNA methylation status of gene transcriptional regulatory regions in the frontal lobes of patients with bipolar disorder (BD).

9 Jun 2021