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Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 15, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Reveal New Mechanism Behind More Male Autism

Research into two sex hormones released by the testes of male fetuses and boys may help solve the mystery of why autism is much more common in boys than girls.

Featured Psychology

·August 9, 2012·2 min read

Brain Hubs Boil when Hoarders Face Pitching Their Own Stuff

In patients with hoarding disorder, parts of a decision-making brain circuit under-activated when dealing with others’ possessions, but over-activated when deciding whether to keep or discard their own things.

Featured Neurology

·August 9, 2012·3 min read

Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Gaining Ground

Scientists have taken a step toward developing a blood test for Alzheimer's, finding a group of markers that hold up in statistical analyses in three independent groups of patients.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 9, 2012·5 min read

Neuroscientists Find Brain Stem Cells that May Be Responsible for Higher Functions, Bigger Brains

A neuron’s fate was thought to be determined by the timing of its birth date. Neuroscientists recently showed that there is a distinct stem cell progenitor that gives rise to upper layer neurons, regardless of birth date or place.

Featured Psychology

·August 7, 2012·2 min read

Children’s Healthy Diets Lead to Healthier IQ

Children fed healthy diets in early age may have a slightly higher IQ, while those on heavier junk food diets may have a slightly reduced IQ, according to new research.

Featured Neurology

·August 7, 2012·3 min read

Making It Easier to Learn to Read: Dyslexia Caused by Signal Processing in the Brain

Major step in understanding the cause of dyslexia is taken. Scientists have discovered an important neural mechanism underlying dyslexia and shown that many difficulties associated with dyslexia can potentially be traced back to a malfunction of the medial geniculate body in the thalamus.

Featured Genetics Neurology

·August 2, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Find Genetic Cause for Body Tremors

Scientists knew that mutations in the FUS gene (Fused in Sarcoma) cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The researchers were successful in identifying mutations in this gene that cause Essential Tremor, and proved that the disease mechanisms for ET and ALS FUS mutations are different.

Brain Cancer Featured Genetics Neurology

·August 1, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Discover Gene that Permanently Stops Cancer Cell Proliferation

Researchers discovered a mutant form of Chk1 gene that when expressed in cancer cells, permanently stopped their proliferation and caused cell death without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs. This study illustrates an unprecedented finding, that artificially activating Chk1 alone is sufficient to kill cancer cells.

Brain Cancer Featured Genetics Neurology

·August 1, 2012·2 min read

Study Suggests New Treatment Target for Deadly Brain Tumors

“We identified a subset of brain tumor cells that are slower growing or remain at rest, and appear to be the source of cancer recurrence after standard therapy in which the drug temozolomide is given to stop the tumor’s growth,” said Dr. Luis Parada. “Current therapy targets fast-growing tumor cells but not those responsible for new tumors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first identification of a cancer stem-like cell in a spontaneously forming tumor inside a mammal.”

Featured Neurology

·August 1, 2012·2 min read

Artificial Butter Flavoring Ingredient Linked to Key Alzheimer’s Disease Process

A new study raises concern about chronic exposure of workers in industry to a food flavoring ingredient used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn, margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods and other products. It found evidence that the ingredient, diacetyl (DA), intensifies the damaging effects of an abnormal brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

A cup of coffee is shown with the froth in the shape of a brain.

Featured Neurology

·August 1, 2012·2 min read

Caffeine May Ease Parkinson’s Symptoms

Caffeine, which is widely consumed around the world in coffee, tea and soft drinks, may help control movement in people suffering from Parkinson's.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·July 31, 2012·4 min read

Protein Involved in DNA Replication, Centrosome Regulation Linked to Dwarfism, Small Brain Size

Research just published by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) links gene mutations found in some patients with Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS) with specific cellular dysfunctions that are thought to give rise to a particularly extreme version of dwarfism, small brain size, and other manifestations of abnormal growth which generally characterize that rare condition.