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Salk Institute

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·December 10, 2019·4 min read

Alzheimer’s drug candidates reverse broader aging

CMS121 and J147, two drug candidates that improve memory and slow neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease, also slow aging in healthy, older mice. The compounds block damage to neurons caused by general aging and restore levels of specific molecules to those seen in younger animals.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 13, 2019·4 min read

How emotion affects action

Researchers have identified a comprehensive circuit mechanism that governs how emotional states can influence movement through connections in the basal ganglia. The mechanism represents a way in which emotional states relate to changes in action control in depression, anxiety, and OCD.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 22, 2019·4 min read

Scratching the surface of how your brain senses an itch

Researchers identified a set of neurons in the spinal cord that transmits a light-touch signal from the skin to the brain. NPY-Y1 signaling regulates the transmission of innocuous tactile information by establishing thresholds for touch discrimination and mechanical itch reflexes. The findings shed new light on the neurobiological basis of chronic itching.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·July 21, 2019·5 min read

How mammals’ brains evolved to distinguish odors is nothing to sniff at

Study reveals at least six types of mammals distinguish odors in similar ways, using neural networks that are evolutionarily preserved across species.

This shows a brain and different colored puzzle pieces

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 27, 2019·3 min read

Deciphering how the brain encodes color and shape

Visual neurons selectively respond to color and shape along a continuum. While some neurons are only activated by either a specific color or shape, others are responsive to color and shape simultaneously. The findings contradict previous beliefs about how visual processing works.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 22, 2019·4 min read

When neurons are out of shape, antidepressants may not work

Differences in serotonergic neuron morphology, along with altered gene expression have been identified in patients with MDD. The findings shed light on why some patients do not respond to SSRI antidepressants.

A bullhorn and the word attention are shown

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·March 19, 2019·3 min read

How Attention Helps the Brain Perceive an Object

Low-frequency optogenetic stimulation of the visual region of the brain impairs an animal's ability to make fine sensory discriminations.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 14, 2019·3 min read

Guardians of the Synapse: A New Role For Schwann Cells Identified

Schwann cells help protect nerves against blood clotting factors that cause degeneration, researchers report.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 21, 2019·4 min read

Native California Medicinal Plant May Hold Promise for Treating Alzheimer’s

Salk researchers have discovered a possible neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory compound in the Californian shrub, Yerba santa, that may help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 13, 2019·5 min read

Uncovering the Evolution of the Brain

Researchers have developed a new technique to study the development of human neurons compared to the neurons of nonhuman primates. The findings shed new light on the evolution of the human brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 1, 2019·4 min read

Hyperactive Neurons May Be to Blame When Antidepressants Don’t Work

Researchers shed new light on why some people may not respond to antidepressants for major depressive disorder. The study reports, neurons in the brains of some with MDD may become hyperactive in the presence of SSRIs.