Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodenegerative disorder, affects roughly 1% of people over 60 years old. It is characterized by a loss of dopamine-producing neurons in a region of the brain that regulates movement and coordination. For most cases of Parkinson’s disease, the underlying cause is unknown but is thought to comprise both geneticContinueContinue reading “A possible cause of Parkinson’s disease”
Author Archives: monicascicom
Using nanoparticles to teach immune tolerance
Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes are the third largest cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. In these and other autoimmune diseases, immune cells mistakenly attack and destroy healthy tissue; in the case of multiple sclerosis, the target is myelin, which creates the protective sheath around nerve cells. AsContinueContinue reading “Using nanoparticles to teach immune tolerance”
Bringing home the bacon genome
The recent publication of the assembly, analysis and annotation of the genome sequence of a female Duroc pig (Sus scrofa) may pay off big for medical research as well as for agricultural production. Although pigs are larger, more expensive to house and slower to reproduce than other common lab animals such as rodents, they shareContinueContinue reading “Bringing home the bacon genome”
Neuroscience 2012
Neuroscience 2012 was the 42nd annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, an organization of more than 42,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system. The meeting is an ideal opportunity for the neuroscience community to present new research and to network with colleagues and also represents a key source ofContinueContinue reading “Neuroscience 2012”
To damselfish, modeling comes naturally
The bicolor damselfish is a tropical marine species that inhabits shallow coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Damselfish have an oval-shaped body with a two-tone coloration that varies somewhat with geography. Lab Anim. (NY) 42, 11 (2013). view full text (login required)
It takes TALEN to edit zebrafish DNA
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an increasingly popular model for research on vertebrate biology and human disease, thanks in part to its short generation time and transparent, externally fertilized eggs, which facilitate studies of embryonic development. An array of molecular tools has been applied to zebrafish studies, including various genome modification techniques. For example, zincContinueContinue reading “It takes TALEN to edit zebrafish DNA”
Reptiles at heart
To support the high rates of oxygen consumption associated with being warm-blooded, the hearts of birds and mammals must pump rapidly and frequently. These high heart rates are made possible by a network of conductive tissue that spreads across the heart, controlling its contraction. The evolutionary origin of this conductive tissue has long been aContinueContinue reading “Reptiles at heart”
‘Transient’ devices from silk, silicon and magnesium
A cross-disciplinary collaboration between Fiorenzo Omenetto, a biomedical engineer at Tufts University, Medford, MA, and John Rogers, a materials scientist at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, has yielded tiny new electronic devices that completely dissolve when they are no longer needed (Science 337, 1640–1644; 2012). These ‘physically transient’ electronics are built from silicon, the preferredContinueContinue reading “‘Transient’ devices from silk, silicon and magnesium”
Dangers of BPA exposure confirmed in rhesus macaques
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical with endocrine-disrupting properties that is present in many consumer items: the linings of aluminum cans, heat-activated or pressure-printed cash register receipts, dental sealants and polycarbonate plastic products such as food and drink containers. Because of its prevalence, many people are exposed to BPA on a recurring basis. DataContinueContinue reading “Dangers of BPA exposure confirmed in rhesus macaques”
In working horses, a behavioral model of depression?
A key challenge in research on depression and other mood-related disorders is the availability of appropriate animal models. In addition to the difficulties inherent in assessing mood in animals, the fact that most studies are done in a controlled environment rather than a natural environment may confound interpretation of the results. Hence, some researchers haveContinueContinue reading “In working horses, a behavioral model of depression?”
Fluent in Science 