Another Marathon Mouse Engineered – Boosting Acetylcholine Reduces Fatigue
After inserting a gene into mice that increases choline transporter and as a result increases acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions, the engineered mice were able to run on treadmills twice as long as controls without the inserted gene.
Pain in the Potassium Channels
The removal of a certain class of potassium channels from the surface of nociceptors is believed to be a key factor in inflammatory pain signaling. Using gene interference to reduce the expression of these specific potassium channels on nociceptors, researchers were able to produce hyperexcitability in nociceptors resembling that seen in inflammatory pain signaling.
The Fearless SM: Woman Missing Amygdala
A woman with bilateral damage relatively restricted to the amygdala is the subject of a case study reported today. SM, as she will be known to the public, seems able to experience emotions such as happiness and sadness normally, but shows no signs of fear.
Longdaysin Can Change Biological Clock
A compound named longdaysin can be used to control the biological clock, new research shows. Researchers were able to lengthen the biological clock of larval zebra fish over ten hours by manipulating levels of longdaysin. These new findings could help lead to better management of sleeping disorders, jet lag and other biological clock related problems. The article [...]
Feeling Robotic Arms Improves Brain Machine Interfaces
Proprioception feedback of a robotic arm helped improve the performance of monkeys using brain machine interfaces to control a computer cursor. When the monkeys were fit with exoskeletons that provided arm movements synchronized with the cursor movement, control of the cursor improved by 40%.
Fragile X Tremor Ataxia Syndrome – FXTAS Breakthrough
Fragile X Tremor Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) research shows that inhibiting histone acetylation could help control expression of toxic mRNA. FXTAS symptoms are mainly caused by overproduction of toxic mRNA, making this research very important for researchers working with FXTAS.
Data on What Colors Flowers Appear to Bees
A database on what colors flowers appear to be viewed as by bees has been collected and is freely searchable. The data is collected in the Floral Refelctance Database also known as FReD.
World’s First Basic Research Institute for Childhood Neurological Diseases Opens
The world’s first basic research institute for childhood neurological diseases opened in Houston, Texas and is part of the Texas Children’s Hospital. Some of the research the new research insitute will focus on includes childhood neurological diseases such as autism, epilepsy, Rett syndrome, cerebral palsy, ataxias and Batten disease. More details about the new institute are provided in the press release below.
Beta-amyloid Removal Problems May Underlie Alzheimer’s Disease
The removal of beta-amyloid is not efficient in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease sufferers. These new findings could help produce better early diagnostic tests and therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related research.
Acetylcholine and SK Channels Involved in Learning and Memory
New research on learning describes the interaction between acetlycholine receptors and SK channels and their involvement in learning and memory. These findings could lead to new research targeting acetylcholine and SK channels to help cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia as well as help understand learning and memory better.
