Category: Neurology / Neuroscience

University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered how to reverse the learning and memory problems inherent in the most common form of mental impairment.Neurobiologist Julie Lauterborn and her colleagues identified how a mutated gene linked to fragile X syndrome blocks brain cells from locking new memories into lasting ones. The gene — called fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) — is turned off in people with fragile X syndrome.

James Shorter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been named an inaugural recipient of the 2007 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. This highly prestigious award totals $1.5 million in direct costs over five years to each of 29 investigators, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers. More than 2,100 applications were received for this extremely competitive program.

James Shorter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been named an inaugural recipient of the 2007 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. This highly prestigious award totals $1.5 million in direct costs over five years to each of 29 investigators, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers. More than 2,100 applications were received for this extremely competitive program.

Preventing neurodegenerative diseases by studying proteins in the brainResearchers report the most complete list so far of the proteins present in the cerebral cortex — the outermost layer of the brain that plays a central role in memory, language, cognition, and consciousness.

Preventing neurodegenerative diseases by studying proteins in the brainResearchers report the most complete list so far of the proteins present in the cerebral cortex — the outermost layer of the brain that plays a central role in memory, language, cognition, and consciousness.

Researchers report in the October 2007 issue of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics the most complete list so far of the proteins present in the cerebral cortex the outermost layer of the brain that plays a central role in memory, language, cognition, and consciousness. The cerebral cortex is also the part of the brain that contains the hallmarks of many neurodegenerative diseases, so these results could help understand how such diseases develop and maybe find ways to slow it down.

The discovery of a relationship between two cell enzymes and their role in keeping the cell’s energy generating machinery working smoothly could provide a new target for development of therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Research led by Dr L.

Should amateur boxers be concerned about long term brain injury? According to an article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) the association between amateur boxing and chronic traumatic brain injury is not significant; researchers say it is currently not possible to come to a decisive conclusion. The authors explain that in the case of professional boxing the risk of long term brain injury is much clearer.

Researchers have identified brain structures that process the threat of punishment for violating social norms. They said that their findings suggest a neural basis for treating children, adolescents, and even immature adults differently in the criminal justice system, since the neural circuitry for processing the threat of such punishment is not as developed in younger individuals as it is in adults.

A combination of two drugs can selectively block pain-sensing neurons in rats without impairing movement or other sensations such as touch, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators. The finding suggests an improved way to treat pain from childbirth and surgical procedures. It may also lead to new treatments to help the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain.