FeaturedPsychology·July 15, 2020Attraction to ‘Tyrannical’ Leaders Linked to Dysfunctional Family Dynamics
FeaturedPsychology·July 15, 2020Early Life Stress Associated with Youth Onset of Depression for Some Types of Stress But Not Others
FeaturedNeurologyOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·July 14, 2020COVID-19 May Attack Patients’ Central Nervous System
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·July 6, 2020To Let Neurons Talk, Immune Cells Clear Paths Through Brain’s ‘Scaffolding’Dropping the level of the IL-33 immune molecule increased the number of synapses in the brain. In older mice, ramping up IL-33 helped push the number of new synapses toward a more youthful state. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·June 6, 2020Microglia in the olfactory bulb have a nose for protecting the brain from infectionMicroglia help limit infection to the olfactory bulb and protects neurons from damage that could occur as a result of viral infection. Read More
Brain CancerFeaturedGeneticsNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·May 1, 2020New targets for childhood brain tumors identifiedNeurons and immune cells work together to promote tumor growth in neurofibromatosis type 1. Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 15, 2020Autism in males linked to defect in brain immune cells and microgliaAn over-production of eIF4E impairs microglial cells, hampering their ability to effectively prune synapses and leading to autism-like behaviors in male mouse models of ASD. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurologyNeuroscience·April 13, 2020Toxic cell atlas guides new therapies for neurodegenerationA new method called Tox-seq found only one sub-group of microglia caused oxidative stress. The gene expression signatures of this sub-group from a mouse model matched patterns observed in cells suspected of causing damage in progressive multiple sclerosis patients. The pattern of gene expression associated with oxidative stress in mouse cells included genes involved in coagulation. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePsychology·April 2, 2020How T. gondii infection causes seizures, and psychiatric illness for someStudy shows how Toxoplasma parasitic infections promote the loss of inhibitory signaling in the brain by altering the behavior of microglia. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 27, 2020A new way to study HIV’s impact on the brainHIV infection leads to increased EIF2 signaling in microglia, astrocytes, and neurons. Study reveals how HIV infection and some antiretrovirals affect cognition and the central nervous system. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 18, 2020Alzheimer’s risk genes converge on microgliaFindings indicate a large part of the genetic risk of Alzheimer's involves a microglial response to amyloid-beta. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 17, 2020Inflammation in the brain linked to several forms of dementiaIn all three types of frontotemporal dementia, researchers found the more the inflammation in each part of the brain, the more harmful the build-up of junk proteins. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 10, 2020Stimulating immune cells to protect against Alzheimer’sStimulating activation of microglia may help eliminate Alzheimer's associated plaques, thus helping to prevent the progression of the neurodegenerative disease. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 3, 2020Visceral fat delivers signal to the brain that hurts cognitionVisceral fat impairs memory via proinflammatory interleukin-1 beta mediated microglia activation in the hippocampus. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·February 28, 2020Our own immune cells damage the integrity of the blood-brain barrierMicroglia initially protects the blood-brain barrier from damage due to systemic inflammation. However, microglia can alter their behavior and increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, thus damaging it. Read More
