Researchers have found a naturally occurring protein, know as diazepam binding inhibitor, secreted only in discrete areas of the brain may act as a Valium-like break in certain types of epilepsy.
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.
Scientists have observed the neurological mechanism behind temperature-dependent febrile seizures by genetically engineering fruit flies to harbor a mutation analogous to one that causes epileptic seizures in people. Their new study also highlights the first use of genetic engineering to swap a human genetic disease mutation into a directly analogous gene in a fly.
Researchers discovered a new group of nerve cells that regulate processes of learning and memory. These cells act as gatekeepers and carry a receptor for nicotine, which can help explain our ability to remember and sort information. The newly discovered gatekeeper nerve cells, also called OLM-alpha2 cells, provide an explanation to how the flow of information is controlled in the hippocampus.
A low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans.
A new way to study the role of a critical neurotransmitter in disorders such as epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol addiction has been developed. This model synapse can precisely control a variety of receptors for the neurotransmitter called GABA, which is important in brain chemistry.
Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have figured out how stem cells found in a part of the brain responsible for learning, memory and mood regulation decide to remain dormant or create new brain cells. Apparently, the stem cells “listen in” on the chemical communication among nearby neurons to get an idea about what is stressing the system and when they need to act.
Researchers in France and Sweden have discovered how one of the body’s own proteins is involved in generating chronic pain...
Huntington’s disease, the debilitating congenital neurological disorder that progressively robs patients of muscle coordination and cognitive ability, is a condition...
What if blind eyes could see? What does that mean? That’s the question neuroscientist Pawan Sinha and his team at...
Neuroscience research published in September's Journal of Neuroscience suggests early life stresses may modify the GAD1 gene, which controls the production of GABA. Through their research on rats, researchers were able to note that those who experienced a lack of affection showed an obstruction within the DNA which controls the GAD1 gene. As it is believed that GABA deficits might be apparent within schizophrenic patients, researchers propose that the modification of GAD1 might determine a child's predisposition to mental illness.
Neurobiology research from UCLA indicates the possibility of GABA interfering with working memory in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1.
