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Genetics

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·February 27, 2023·3 min read

How the Brain’s Recycling System Breaks Down in Parkinson’s Disease

Endophilin A1, a gene associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease also blocks the process by which the brain and body recycle waste.

This shows a medium spiny neuron in the nca

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 25, 2023·6 min read

A New Epigenetic Brain Defense Against Recurrence of Opioid Use

HDAC5, the "epigenetics" enzyme, plays a key role in limiting opioid-associated memories and drug-seeking behaviors following abstinence from drugs in rats. The findings provide a new avenue for the treatment of opioid addiction.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·February 22, 2023·6 min read

Dial for Tuning Dopamine and Environmental Signals Found in Parkinson’s

Study reveals how signals from the environment integrate with genetic information that influences the survival and health of neurons, providing new insights into how Parkinson's disease may develop. Findings reveal the TNK2 gene mutations lead to the degeneration of dopamine producing neurons, resulting in Parkinson's disease pathology.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 17, 2023·3 min read

Vasodilator Drug Used in Stroke Patients Found to Reverse Key Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Vasodilators such as fasudil, commonly used for the treatment of stroke, restored pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of mouse models of schizophrenia associated with genetics.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 17, 2023·9 min read

Prairie Voles Born via C-Section Can’t Bond: Is Birth Key to How We Love and Relate?

Prairie voles born via cesarean section were unable to form pair bonds. However, exposing them to oxytocin allowed the c-section-born prairie voles to form pair bonds upon maturity. The findings raise an interesting question: Is our method of birth more important to how we love and form relationships than we realize?

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 16, 2023·5 min read

Discovery in Zebrafish May Yield Better Understanding of a Range of Mental Health Disorders Related to Stress and Anxiety

Deficiencies in DSCAML1 disrupt normal brain development and increase baseline levels of cortisol, making the hormone less able to function correctly during periods of stress. The findings shed new light on programmed cell death in the developing brain and could lead to new treatments for mental health disorders including stress and anxiety.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 16, 2023·4 min read

Sensory Signals Are Integrated Differently, Underrepresented by Neurons in Autism

Environmental sensory signals are integrated differently in those with Fragile X syndrome, causing them to be underrepresented by cortical pyramidal neurons.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 15, 2023·3 min read

Computational Modeling Sheds Light on Human Cognition and the Origins of Brain Disorders

An AI model of gene regulation in the brain identified thousands of mutations associated with neocortical development and the facilitation of mathematical abilities.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 14, 2023·4 min read

Drug Shown to Alleviate Autism-Associated Behavior

A newly developed drug that blocks sodium channels in the cell membrane that can reverse MYT1L failure alleviates social behavior deficits in mouse models of ASD.

This shows a young girl smelling a flower

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 13, 2023·4 min read

Study May Help to Explain Smell Challenges in Individuals With Autism

Study sheds light on why some people with autism experience aversion to certain smells and the neural mechanisms that underlie olfactory processing in those with ASD.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 13, 2023·4 min read

Can Hearing Loss Be Reversed? Research Reveals Clues That Could Regrow the Cells That Help Us Hear

Study identifies the mechanisms behind regenerating new cochlear hair cells. The findings could have positive implications for treating or reversing hearing loss associated with damage to cochlear hair cells.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·February 11, 2023·6 min read

Large-Scale Generation of Muscle-Controlling Nerve Cells From ALS Patients

A person's sex is one of the main drivers of altered gene expression in motor neurons, regardless of whether they were derived from patients diagnosed with ALS. Male ALS stem cells generated significantly more motor neurons than the control group, however, this was not seen in female samples.