Labslink Research News

Evolution shapes new rules for ant behavior, Stanford research finds

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:37:08 PDT

In ancient Greece, the city-states that waited until their own harvest was in before attacking and destroying a rival community's crops often experienced better long-term success........> Full story

Serotonin mediates exercise-induced generation of new neurons

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:29:17 PDT

Mice that exercise in running wheels exhibit increased neurogenesis in the brain. Crucial to this process is serotonin signaling. These are the findings of a study by researchers at the Max Delbrück Center Berlin-Buch. Surprisingly, mice lacking brain serotonin due to a genetic mutation exhibited normal baseline neurogenesis. However, in these serotonin-deficient mice, activity-induced proliferation was impaired, and wheel running did not induce increased generation of new neurons.......> Full story

Researchers discover dynamic behavior of progenitor cells in brain

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:15:09 PDT

By monitoring the behavior of a class of cells in the brains of living mice, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins discovered that these cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain, where they transform into cells that insulate nerve fibers and help form scars that aid in tissue repair.........> Full story

Mathematicians help to unlock brain function

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:01:32 PDT

Mathematicians from Queen Mary, University of London will bring researchers one-step closer to understanding how the structure of the brain relates to its function in two recently published studies.......> Full story

Gene may help identify risk of Alzheimer's in African Americans, Mayo Clinic says

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:24:22 PDT

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida participated in a nationwide study that found minor differences between genes that contribute to late-onset Alzheimer's disease in African-Americans and in Caucasians.......> Full story

System provides clear brain scans of awake, unrestrained mice

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:18:30 PDT

Setting a mouse free to roam might alarm most people, but not so for nuclear imaging researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Medical School and the University of Maryland who have developed a new imaging system for mouse brain studies.........> Full story

Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:09:13 PDT

The lunar cycle controls the behaviour of various animal species: owls, swallows and bats, for example, align their activity with the phase of the moon to maximise their hunting success. However, marine life is also affected by the moon. Many species of fish hide from their enemies in the depths of the sea during the daytime and only come up to the water's surface in the dark. Known as vertical migration, this phenomenon is additionally influenced by the lunar cycle. The fish thereby avoid swimming on the water's surface at full moon where they would be easy prey. Vertical migration is thus restricted on brighter nights and the animals remain at greater depths. At new moon, on the other hand, the organisms become active and migrate to the surface........> Full story

Making axons branch and grow to help nerve regeneration after injury

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:40:05 PDT

One molecule makes nerve cells grow longer. Another one makes them grow branches. These new experimental manipulations have taken researchers a step closer to understanding how nerve cells are repaired at their farthest reaches after injury. The research was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.........> Full story

Low-cost 'cooling cure' would avert brain damage in oxygen-starved babies

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:32:38 PDT

When babies are deprived of oxygen before birth, brain damage and disorders such as cerebral palsy can occur. Extended cooling can prevent brain injuries, but this treatment is not always available in developing nations where advanced medical care is scarce. To address this need, Johns Hopkins undergraduates have devised a low-tech $40 unit to provide protective cooling in the absence of modern hospital equipment that can cost $12,000........> Full story

Elite athletes also excel at some cognitive tasks

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:24:32 PDT

New research suggests that elite athletes – Olympic medalists in volleyball, for example – perform better than the rest of us in yet another way. These athletes excel not only in their sport of choice but also in how fast their brains take in and respond to new information – cognitive abilities that are important on and off the court........> Full story

Cell on a chip reveals protein behavior

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:21:41 PDT

For years, scientists around the world have dreamed of building a complete, functional, artificial cell. Though this vision is still a distant blur on the horizon, many are making progress on various fronts. Prof. Roy Bar-Ziv and his research team in the Weizmann Institute’s Materials and Interfaces Department recently took a significant step in this direction.........> Full story

Scientists discover novel chemical that controls cell behavior

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:50:45 PDT

It’s the spread of the original cancer tumor that kills most people. That’s why cancer researchers vigorously search for drugs that can prevent metastases, the spread of cancer. The research team co-led by Angela Wandinger-Ness, PhD, and Larry Sklar, PhD, at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center has found a chemical compound......> Full story

Drugs targeting blood vessels may be candidates for treating Alzheimer's

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:12:52 PDT

University of British Columbia researchers have successfully normalized the production of blood vessels in the brain of mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by immunizing them with amyloid beta, a protein widely associated with the disease.........> Full story

Speech emerges in children with autism and severe language delay at greater rate than thought

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:24:58 PDT

New findings published in Pediatrics (Epub ahead of print) by the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism and Related Disorders reveal that 70 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who have a history of severe language delay, achieved phrase or fluent speech by age eight. This suggests that more children........> Full story

Functional electrical stimulation cycling promotes recovery in chronic spinal cord injury

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:23:27 PDT

A new study by Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (Epub ahead of print) finds that long-term lower extremity functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling, as part of a rehabilitation regimen, is associated with substantial improvements in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Improvements include neurological and functional gains........> Full story

Parkinson's disease: Parkin protects from neuronal cell death

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:57:12 PDT

Parkinson's disease is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. It is characterized by the loss of dopamin-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, a region in the midbrain, which is implicated in motor control. The typical clinical signs include resting tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness of movements, and impaired balance. In about 10% of cases Parkinson's disease is caused by mutations in specific genes, one of them is called parkin........> Full story

UGA researchers identify brain pathway triggering impulsive eating

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:20:55 PDT

New research from the University of Georgia has identified the neural pathways in an insect brain tied to eating for pleasure, a discovery that sheds light on mirror impulsive eating pathways in the human brain.......> Full story

Rutgers neuroscientist sheds light on cause for 'chemo brain'

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:33:07 PDT

It’s not unusual for cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy to complain about not being able to think clearly, connect thoughts or concentrate on daily tasks. The complaint – often referred to as chemo-brain – is common. The scientific cause, however, has been difficult to pinpoint.........> Full story

Researchers decipher modus operandi of potential Alzheimer's drug

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:41:34 PDT

Methylene blue is a multi-talented substance with a long history. The synthetic compound was first produced in 1876, and since then has served not only as a blue dye, but also as a medical drug – for example to treat malaria and prevent urinary tract infections. It is now also being debated as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease........> Full story

Genome-wide imaging study identifies new gene associated with Alzheimer's plaques

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:08:07 PDT

A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer’s disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene -- long associated with development of Alzheimer’s -- but has uncovered an association with a second gene, called BCHE.......> Full story

This is why it takes so long to get over tendon injuries

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:45:18 PDT

The Achilles heel of the body – getting over damage to tendons can be a long and painful process. By combining the nuclear tests of the 1950s with tissue samples and modern technology, a research collaboration between Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen now reveals why the healing process is so slow....... > Full story

Research uncovers a potential link between Parkinson's and visual problems

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:38:29 PDT

Parkinson’s, the second most common form of neurodegenerative disease, principally affects people aged over 60. Its most common symptom is tremor and slowness of movement (bradykinesia) but some people with Parkinson’s also experience changes in vision........> Full story

Human brain is divided on fear and panic

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:14:18 PDT

When doctors at the University of Iowa prepared a patient to inhale a panic-inducing dose of carbon dioxide, she was fearless. But within seconds of breathing in the mixture, she cried for help, overwhelmed by the sensation that she was suffocating.......> FULL STORY

Finding the way to memory

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:12:24 PDT

Our ability to learn and form new memories is fully dependent on the brain’s ability to be plastic – that is to change and adapt according to new experiences and environments. A new study from the Montreal Neurological Institute – The Neuro, McGill University, reveals that DCC, the receptor for a crucial protein in the nervous system known as netrin, plays a key role in regulating the plasticity of nerve cell connections in the brain.......> Full story

Researchers find a better way to culture central nervous cells

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:17:27 PDT

A protein associated with neuron damage in people with Alzheimer’s disease is surprisingly useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab, according to a new study by engineering researchers at Brown University. The findings, in press at the journal Biomaterials, suggest a better method of growing neurons outside the body that might then be implanted to treat people with neurodegenerative diseases.......> Full story

Glial cells assist in the repair of injured nerves

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:32:49 PDT

From their cell bodies to their terminals in muscle or skin, neuronal extensions or axons in the peripheral nervous system are surrounded along their entire length by glial cells. These cells, which are known as Schwann cells, envelop the axons with an insulating sheath called myelin, which enables the rapid transmission of electrical impulses.......> Full story

UCI neuroscientists create fiber-optic method of arresting epileptic seizures

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:05:33 PDT

UC Irvine neuroscientists have developed a way to stop epileptic seizures with fiber-optic light signals, heralding a novel opportunity to treat the most severe manifestations of the brain disorder........> Full story

Penn Vet study reveals a promising new target for Parkinson's disease therapies

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:55:42 PDT

With a new insight into a model of Parkinson’s disease, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a novel target for mitigating some of the disease’s toll on the brain........> Full story

Vaginal delivery is the safest option for women with pelvic girdle pain

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:05:19 PDT

Caesarean section rates are increasing worldwide, and this trend has partly been explained by women’s requests for planned caesarean section without a medical reason. Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain has been associated with increased preference for caesarean section and with increased planned caesarean section rates.......> Full story

The neurobiological consequence of predating or grazing

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:03:49 PDT

A long standing question in neurobiology is how certain behaviours are reflected in the pattern of connections between neurons. Answering this question requires a comparative approach, which has proved impossible even in a rather small organism like the nematode due to technical limitations in the preparation and analysis of the extremely large data sets. Dan Bumbarger and his colleagues have chosen the pharyngeal nervous systems of C. elegans and P. pacificus, which consist of only 20 neurons........> Full story

New research finds slower growth of preterm infants linked to altered brain development

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:10:10 PDT

Preterm infants who grow more slowly as they approached what would have been their due dates also have slower development in an area of the brain called the cerebral cortex, report Canadian researchers in a new study published today in Science Translational Medicine.........> Full story

Lack of protein Sp2 disrupts neuron creation in brain

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:44:58 PDT

A protein known as Sp2 is key to the proper creation of neurons from stem cells, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Understanding how this protein works could enable scientists to “program” stem cells for regeneration, which has implications for neural therapies........> Full story

New tool to help brain surgeons 1 step closer to operating room

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:06:28 PDT

A new tool that could allow for faster, more comprehensive testing of brain tissue during surgery successfully identified the cancer type, grade and tumor margins in five brain surgery patients, according to a Purdue University and Brigham and Women's Hospital study.......> Full story

Scripps Florida scientists uncover potential drug target to block cell death in Parkinson's disease

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:03:48 PDT

Oxidative stress is a primary villain in a host of diseases that range from cancer and heart failure to Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Now, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that blocking the interaction of a critical enzyme may counteract the destruction of neurons associated with these neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a potential new target for drug development........> Full story

Molecular '2-way radio' directs nerve cell branching and connectivity

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:35:28 PDT

Working with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded the activity of protein signals that let certain nerve cells know when and where to branch so that they reach and connect to their correct muscle targets. The proteins’ mammalian counterparts are known to have signaling roles......> Full story

USF and VA researchers find long-term consequences for those suffering traumatic brain injury

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:29:36 PDT

Researchers from the University of South Florida and colleagues at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital studying the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) using rat models, have found that, overtime, TBI results in progressive brain deterioration characterized by elevated inflammation and suppressed cell regeneration. However, therapeutic intervention, even in the chronic stage of TBI, may still help prevent cell death.......> Full story

Protein creates paths for growing nerve cells

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:11:24 PDT

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a particular protein helps nerve cells extend themselves along the spinal cord during mammalian development. Their results shed light on the subset of muscular dystrophies that result from mutations in the gene that holds the code for the protein, called dystroglycan, and also show how the nerve and muscle failings of the degenerative diseases are related.......> Full story

How the common 'cat parasite' gets into the brain

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:32:00 PDT

We believe that this knowledge may be important for the further understanding of complex interactions in some major public health issues, that modern science still hasnt been able to explain fully", says Antonio Barragan, researcher at the Center for Infectious Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control........> Full story

Where 'where it's at' is at in the brain

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:18:05 PDT

Conventional wisdom in brain research says that you just used your hippocampus to answer that question, but that might not be the whole story. The context of place depends on not just how you got there, but also the things you see around you. A new study in Neuron provides evidence that a different part of the brain is important for understanding where you are based on the spatial layout of the objects in that place. The finding, in rats, has a direct analogy to primate neuroanatomy.......> Full story

Delivered meals help seniors stay in their homes

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:36:01 PDT

The more states spend on home-delivered meals under the Older Americans Act, the more likely they are to help people who don’t need nursing home care to stay in their homes, according to a newly published Brown University statistical analysis of a decade of spending and nursing home resident data........> Full story

Novel antibodies for combating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:34:47 PDT

Antibodies developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are unusually effective at preventing the formation of toxic protein particles linked to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.......> Full story

Molecular knock-out alleviates Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:11:05 PDT

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Gottingen and Site Speaker of the DZNE in Göttingen, investigated mice with a modified genetic background. The animals showed behavioural disorders and brain deposits that are typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers went a step further.........> Full story

Vitamin D tied to women's cognitive performance

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:08:00 PDT

Higher vitamin D dietary intake is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to research conducted by a team led by Cedric Annweiler, MD, PhD, at the Angers University Hospital in France.......> Full story

A step forward in regenerating and repairing damaged nerve cells

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:07:47 PDT

A team of IRCM researchers, led by Dr. Frédéric Charron, recently uncovered a nerve cell’s internal clock, used during embryonic development. The discovery was made in collaboration with Dr. Alyson Fournier’s laboratory at the Montreal Neurological Institute. Published today in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron, this breakthrough could lead to the development of new tools to repair and regenerate nerve cells following injuries to the central nervous system.......> Full story

New method helps target Parkinson's disease

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:36:16 PDT

Health professionals may soon have a new method of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease, one that is noninvasive and inexpensive, and, in early testing, has proved to be effective more than 90 percent of the time.......> Full story

Faulty development of immature brain cells causes hydrocephalus

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:25:36 PDT

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered a new cause of hydrocephalus, a devastating neurological disorder that affects between one and three of every 1,000 babies born. Working in mice, the researchers identified a cell signaling defect.......> Full story

Quick, high-volume test offers fast track in search for Alzheimer's drugs

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:34:09 PDT

An efficient, high-volume technique for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease, according to new research that could help put the search for an effective Alzheimer's drug on a faster track.......> Full story

Brain waves make waves

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:21:39 PDT

Our world is full of cyclic phenomena: For example, many people experience their attention span changing over the course of a day. Maybe you yourself are more alert in the morning, others more in the afternoon. Bodily functions cyclically change or “oscillate” with environmental rhythms, like light and dark.......> Full story

Traumatic brain injury patients, supercomputer simulations studied to improve helmets

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:20:25 PDT

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico are comparing supercomputer simulations of blast waves on the brain with clinical studies of veterans suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) to help improve helmet designs.......> Full story

For brain tumors, origins matter

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:09:06 PDT

Cancers arise when a normal cell acquires a mutation in a gene that regulates cellular growth or survival. But the particular cell this mutation happens in—the cell of origin—can have an enormous impact on the behavior of the tumor, and on the strategies used to treat it........> Full story