The potassium channel KCNQ3 is required for our brain to generate accurate spatial maps. In mice, defects in KCNQ3 function have measurable effects on the internal navigation system. The findings of a research team including researchers from FAU recently published in Nature Communications are also relevant for Alzheimer’s-type dementia research.null In addition to other physiological processes, potassium … Continue reading A Defective Potassium Channel Disrupts The Brain’s Navigation System (Neuroscience) →

OHSU study reveals that synthetic compound regulates gene implicated in neurodegenerative diseases Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University have for the first time demonstrated it’s possible to use a synthetic thyroid hormone to regulate a gene implicated in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. The findings from tests in cells and mice, published … Continue reading Discovery Raises Possibility Of New Medication For Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s (Neuroscience) →

Brain Signals That Help Memories Form May Influence Blood Sugar A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats. Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine discovered that a peculiar signaling pattern in the brain region called the hippocampus, linked by past … Continue reading Researchers Link Brain Memory Signals to Blood Sugar Levels (Neuroscience) →

A new study on bats reveals an unexpected representation of three-dimensional space in the brain In a new study published in Nature today, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers, in collaboration with colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, unveiled for the first time how three-dimensional space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain’s “GPS” system. The team … Continue reading How 3D Space is Represented in the Mammalian Cortex by the Brain’s “GPS” System? (Neuroscience) →

Hormones released after a brain injury contribute to movement problems on the left and right sides of the body, scientists from Uppsala University and elsewhere can now show in a new study in rats. The results also suggest that hormone-blocking treatments may help counteract these effects, a finding that has implications for treating people with … Continue reading How Hormones May Alleviate Side-specific Movement Difficulties After Brain Injury? (Neuroscience) →

Watson College assistant professor of mechanical engineering to lead $587,853 NSF project Many mysteries continue to surround the human brain, but among the most important are how it forms and how those early weeks affect the rest of a person’s life. Upcoming research from Binghamton University and Harvard Medical School will use computer modeling and … Continue reading How Do Brains Form? New Binghamton Research Studies Folding, Growth in Fetuses (Neuroscience) →