Brain Rewires Itself After Damage or Injury
When the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory and learning, is damaged, the prefrontal cortex takes over. This demonstration of neuroplasticity could give rise to new treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions associated with damage to the brain.
Experience Leads to the Growth of New Brain Cells
Researchers examine how individuality develops through adult neurogenesis; the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus which allows the brain to react flexibly to new information.
Discovery About Animal Memory Opens Doors to Research on Memory Impairment Diseases
A new study offers evidence of source memory in nonhuman animals.
Reading the Minds of Mice
Researchers recently developed a system for observing real-time brain activity in a live mouse. The device could prove useful in studying new treatments for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Dickkopf Makes Fountain of Youth in the Brain Run Dry
Scientists have discovered that significantly more neurons are generated in the brains of older animals if the signaling molecule Dickkopf-1 is turned off. The results give rise to the question whether the function of Dickkopf-1 may be turned off using drugs to prevent age related cognitive decline.
Damaged Blood Vessels Loaded with Amyloid Worsen Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers have discovered that amyloid peptides are harmful to the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood in Alzheimer’s disease, thus accelerating cognitive decline by limiting oxygen-rich blood and nutrients.
A Better Way to Culture Central Nervous Cells
A protein associated with neuron damage in Alzheimer’s patients provides a superior scaffold for growing central nervous system cells in the lab.
Neuroscientists Create Fiber Optic Method of Arresting Epileptic Seizures in Mice
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.
Astrocytes Identified as Target for New Depression Therapy
Neuroscientists found that astrocytes may be responsible for the rapid improvement in mood in depressed patients after acute sleep deprivation. This study identified how astrocytes can regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep.
Researchers Say Daily Drinking Can Be Risky
Drinking a couple of glasses of wine each day has generally been considered a good way to promote cardiovascular and brain health. A new study indicates there is a fine line between moderate and binge drinking – a risky behavior that can decrease the making of adult brain cells by as much as 40 percent.
