Recent Neuroscience Research & Links

Introductory Neuroscience

Recent research & links

The links below relate to examples of recently published research of the kind which will be discussed in the Introductory Neuroscience tutorial.

Please click on a link to read an overview of the research and its principal findings.

Parkinson's disease is more than just a brain disorder

BETHESDA, MD (NIH) - For many years, researchers have known that the movement problems associated with Parkinson's disease result from a loss of neurons that produce a nerve-signaling chemical called dopamine in one part of the brain. A new study suggests that Parkinson's disease (PD) also affects nerve endings that produce a related chemical, norepinephrine, in the heart. The finding improves understanding about how Parkinson's disease develops and may lead to a way of predicting the disorder and possibly even preventing it. September 6, 2000.

Repairing brain damage from stroke may be possible with brain cell transplants

(American Academy of Neurology) - A new technique of transplanting laboratory-grown neuronal cells into the brains of stroke patients is safe and well-tolerated by patients, according to a study in the August 22 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. August 23, 2000.

Brain activation altered years before Alzheimer's disease symptoms begin

WESTPORT (Reuters Health) - Individuals at genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease exhibit subtle changes in brain activation patterns decades before the disease manifests, according to a report in today's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. August 18, 2000.

Researchers produce nerve cells

(AP) Scientists have been able to produce nerve cells in the lab by using stem cells drawn from bone marrow, a breakthrough that could help people with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or spinal-cord injuries. August 16, 2000.

Depressed patients have reduced serotonin transporter binding in prefrontal cortex

WESTPORT (Reuters Health) - Patients with major depression have significantly fewer serotonin transporter (5-HTT) binding sites in the prefrontal cortex than nondepressed patients, researchers report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. August 16, 2000.

Engineered dendritic cells enhance T-cell responses

WESTPORT (Reuters Health) - Scientists have found that engineering dendritic cells to express higher levels of three co-stimulatory molecules enhances T-cell activation. The findings, reported in the the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, have implications for vaccination against cancer and infectious diseases. August 8, 2000.

Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to motor neuron pathfinding

This study supports the evidence indicating that genetically distinct subtypes of motor neurons are specified during development, with each type having characteristic properties of axon guidance and cell-body migration. August 3, 2000.

Abnormal brain circuitry linked to loss of restraint in violent individuals

WESTPORT (Reuters Health) - In a study that may help to redefine violence as a mental health issue, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison report today that the neural circuitry that regulates emotion and restraint is dysfunctional in violent and aggressive individuals. August 1, 2000.

Alcohol researchers suggest specific binding site for anaesthetics and alcohols

Reporting in today's Early Edition of the August "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University describe a novel approach that may help scientists to better understand how alcohols and anaesthetic drugs interact with certain brain proteins. The report also provides the strongest evidence to date that alcohols have specific protein binding sites. July 26, 2000.

Brain hormone helps mice recognize each other

A study in Nature Genetics reports that male mice that lacked a particular brain hormone couldn't recognize females they'd just spent time with, showing the substance plays a key role in what scientists call social memory. July 6, 2000.

Brain function disrupted more in younger schizophrenics

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who develop schizophrenia before age 19 show more profound defects in brain functioning than those who have a later onset, researchers report. The finding, the investigators suggest, could provide a way to measure how well antipsychotic drugs work in these men. June 26, 2000.

Stem cells in situ in the cerebral cortex can be induced to undergo neurogenesis

WESTPORT (Reuters Health) - In mice, endogenous neural precursors can be made to differentiate into mature neurons in regions of the cortex that do not normally undergo neurogenesis, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. These results, they say, support the belief that under precisely the right conditions the adult cortex can regenerate by creating neurons in response to injury or degeneration. June 23, 2000.

One-year age changes in MRI brain volumes in older adults

The accelerated decline in cognition associated with the over 70 age bracket is addressed by the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. This study, two year follow-up results of which are published in the latest issue of Cerebral Cortex, addresses age and sex-related differences in neurodegeneration and functional decline. June 20, 2000.

Pallidotomy for Parkinson's disease provides long-term benefits

Parkinson's disease patients who undergo unilateral pallidotomy realize sustained improvements in some symptoms, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. June 8, 2000.

Study says caffeine might protect against Parkinson's disease

An intriguing new study suggests that coffee may prevent Parkinson's disease. May 23, 2000.

Insights into the functional specificity of the human corpus callosum

A case study reported in the journal Brain illustrates the great variety of functional specificity of nerve fibres within the corpus callosum, the set of nerve fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres. May 20, 2000.

Ecstasy drug may dull mind

Even light weekend use of the party drug Ecstasy might harm intelligence, a new study suggests. May 15, 2000.

Prestin is the motor protein of cochlear outer hair cells

Mechanical changes to mammalian cochlear outer hair cells are thought responsible for the amplification of vibrations in the cochlea that are transduced by inner hair cells. This Nature paper identifies a protein, Prestin, thought responsible for such changes. Read the abstract here. May 11, 2000.

Rewarding effects of opiates are absent in mice lacking the receptor for substance P

In this Nature paper, the authors demonstrate a loss of the rewarding properties of morphine in mice with a genetic disruption of the substance P receptor. May 11, 2000.

Chemical boosts marijuana-like substance in brain

A chemical that boosts a marijuana-like substance in the brain may inspire new treatments for brain disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. May 8, 2000.

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