Summary: A protein called Scribble (SCRIB gene) appears to orchestrate the intracellular signaling process for forgetting, a new study reports. Source: University of Edinburgh. More than one thousand people have had their entire genetic make-up decoded as part of a long-term study to gain insight into why some people’s brains age better than others. ScientistsContinue reading “SCRIB and DISC1 genes and mental disorders, schizophrenia”
Category Archives: brain
Brain Bleeding Risk for Men With Alzheimer’s Gene
Even though women for ApoE4 are at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s, men who have the gene and disease suffer more tiny hemorrhages in their brains. A common genetic variation, ApoE4, linked to Alzheimer’s disease greatly raises the likelihood of tiny brain bleeds in some men, scientists have found. Such hemorrhages in brain tissue –Continue reading “Brain Bleeding Risk for Men With Alzheimer’s Gene”
Single Mutation in Recessive Gene Increases Risk of Earlier Onset Parkinson’s Disease
Summary: Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that could signify a risk for early onset of Parkinson’s disease. Source: Mayo Clinic. A collaboration of 32 researchers in seven countries, led by scientists at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida, has found a genetic mutation they say confers a risk for development of Parkinson’s disease earlier thanContinue reading “Single Mutation in Recessive Gene Increases Risk of Earlier Onset Parkinson’s Disease”
It Takes Less Than a Second to Tell Humans From Androids
Summary: Researchers have discovered a visual mechanism that helps us to make snap judgement about what is really alive and what is simulated in a matter of milliseconds. Source: UC Berkeley. TV shows may have us fooled, but in real life, our brains make accurate snap judgments about what is real. It can be hardContinue reading “It Takes Less Than a Second to Tell Humans From Androids”
Worm Offers New Hope For Human Limb Regeneration
Summary: Researchers believe that if they can unlock the genetic network that allows acorn worms to regenerate body parts, they may be able to regenerate human limbs. Source: University of Washington. Our closest worm kin regrow body parts, raising hopes of regeneration in humans. What if humans could regrow an amputated arm or leg, orContinue reading “Worm Offers New Hope For Human Limb Regeneration”
Depriving Deadly Brain Tumors Of Cholesterol May Be Their Achilles’ Heel
Summary: Depriving glioblastoma brain cancer cells of cholesterol caused tumor regression and prolonged survival in mouse models of the disease, a new study reports. Source: UCSD. In mouse models, alternative approach proves promising against hard-to-treat cancer. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and The Scripps ResearchContinue reading “Depriving Deadly Brain Tumors Of Cholesterol May Be Their Achilles’ Heel”
Patient Treated In Trial Using Virus On Brain Tumor
Summary: Researchers inject a cold virus into a woman’s brain in an effort to eradicate cancer. Source: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. A woman had a cold virus injected into her brain tumor in an effort to eradicate it, making her the first person in the United States to participate in a clinical trialContinue reading “Patient Treated In Trial Using Virus On Brain Tumor”
A Single Stressful Event May Cause Long-Term Effects in the Brain
Summary: A new study reports that a single stressful event may cause long term consequences in the brain. Source: University of Milan. One day a person experiences deep stress caused by a sudden happening, for example a traffic accident or a natural catastrophe. Later on this person could develop a serious neuropsychiatric disorder that mayContinue reading “A Single Stressful Event May Cause Long-Term Effects in the Brain”
Lasting First Impressions
Summary: According to researchers, we continue to be influenced by a person’s appearance even after we have interacted with them. Source: Cornell University. Even after having ‘read a book,’ one still judges it by its ‘cover’. A well-known saying urges people to “not judge a book by its cover.” But people tend to do justContinue reading “Lasting First Impressions”
Low Hippocampal Blood Flow and Higher Alzheimer’s Vulnerability in Marijuana Users
Summary: A new study reports marijuana users have lower blood flow to the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory and learning. Source: IOS Press. Hippocampus, the brain’s key memory and learning center, has the lowest blood flow in marijuana users suggesting higher vulnerability to Alzheimer’s. As the U.S. races to legalize marijuanaContinue reading “Low Hippocampal Blood Flow and Higher Alzheimer’s Vulnerability in Marijuana Users”
Rare, Severe Neurological Disease Linked to Protein Trafficking Gene
Summary: Researchers have discovered that a severe form of epileptic encephalopathy is caused by recessive loss-of-function mutations in the gene DENND5A. Source: McGill University. Researchers have linked a debilitating neurological disease in children to mutations in a gene that regulates neuronal development through control of protein movement within neuronal cells. The scientists from the MontrealContinue reading “Rare, Severe Neurological Disease Linked to Protein Trafficking Gene”
Connection Found Between Memory Mechanisms And Resistance To Epilepsy
Summary: Researchers identify a specific mechanism that can provide resistance to epilepsy but also damages a specific type of memory. Source: University of Haifa. A new study undertaken jointly by researchers from the Sagol Department of Neurobiology at the University of Haifa and European researchers, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, exposes a new biologicalContinue reading “Connection Found Between Memory Mechanisms And Resistance To Epilepsy”
New Target Receptor Discovered in the Fight Against Obesity
Summary: Researchers inject a cold virus into a woman’s brain in an effort to eradicate cancer. Source: King’s College London. The team of scientists from King’s College London and Imperial College London tested a high-fat diet, containing a fermentable carbohydrate, and a control diet on mice and looked at the effect on food intake ofContinue reading “New Target Receptor Discovered in the Fight Against Obesity”
Religious Beliefs Activate Neural Reward Circuits in Same Way As Sex and Drugs
Summary: Powerful spiritual feelings were associated with activation in the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain associated with reward, a new study reports. Source: University of Utah School of Medicine. Religious and spiritual experiences activate the brain reward circuits in much the same way as love, sex, gambling, drugs and music, report researchers atContinue reading “Religious Beliefs Activate Neural Reward Circuits in Same Way As Sex and Drugs”