(Medical Xpress) — Recent findings from the Laboratory of Neurobiology at Northeastern, led by biology professor and chair Günther Zupanc, and published online in the scientific journal Neuroscience, demonstrate the mechanism by which new neurons find their ultimate home research that Zupanc hopes will offer insight into the regenerative potential of the human brain.
development
Scientists discover window of opportunity to prevent cerebral palsy
Researchers at the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institutes of Health, located at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Detroit Medical Center, have demonstrated that a nanotechnology-based drug treatment in newborn rabbits with cerebral palsy (CP) enabled dramatic improvement of movement disorders and the inflammatory process of the brain that causes many cases of CP. The findings strongly suggest that there may be an opportunity immediately after birth for drug treatment that could minimize CP.
‘Brain-only’ mutation causes epileptic brain size disorder
Scientists have discovered a mutation limited to brain tissue that causes hemimegalencephaly (HMG), a condition where one half of the brain is enlarged and dysfunctional, leading to intellectual disability and severe epilepsy. The research, published by Cell Press in the April 12 issue of Neuron, has broad significance as a potential model for other complex neuropsychiatric diseases that may also be caused by “brain-only” mutations.
Researchers uncover clue to preventing, and possibly reversing, ataxia telangiectasia disease
Rutgers scientists think they have found a way to prevent and possibly reverse the most debilitating symptoms of a rare, progressive childhood degenerative disease that leaves children with slurred speech, unable to walk, and in a wheelchair before they reach adolescence.
‘Impossible’ problem solved after non-invasive brain stimulation
(Medical Xpress) — Brain stimulation can markedly improve people’s ability to solve highly complex problems, a recent University of Sydney study suggests.