Olfaction—the sense of smell—may be the oldest and least well understood of the five senses. It alerts us to danger, food and other important matters and is closely linked with brain systems involved in emotion, mood, memory, learning and behavior. Stated in simple terms, our understanding of olfaction is as follows: an odorant activates neuronsContinueContinue reading “Identifying the sweet smell of success”
Tag Archives: nervous system
The right light for brain development
Hemispheric specialization is the phenomenon in which the two halves of the brain have different functions. Such separation may enhance cognition, but in order to combine information processed by different sides and to obtain a complete understanding of the environment, information exchange between the hemispheres is essential. Martina Manns and Julianne Römling of Ruhr-University ofContinueContinue reading “The right light for brain development”
Astrocytes ‘feed’ memory formation
Astrocytes were initially considered ‘extras’ in the brain, supporting neurons, the principal actors. But more recent work has suggested that they are involved in cognitive functions such as information processing, signal transmission, and neural and synaptic plasticity. Now these star-shaped cells are moving farther into the spotlight, as new research shows them to be essentialContinueContinue reading “Astrocytes ‘feed’ memory formation”
‘Going under’ and ‘coming to’ follow different paths
Despite their widespread use in surgical procedures, it is not clearly understood how anesthetics affect the central nervous system (CNS). It is generally believed that induction of anesthesia results from drug-induced modification of CNS function, whereas emergence from anesthesia is a passive process that occurs, inversely, as anesthetic is eliminated from the CNS. If thisContinueContinue reading “‘Going under’ and ‘coming to’ follow different paths”
Pain receptor turns up the heat
In the US alone, almost 50 million people suffer from chronic pain. Treatment options are largely limited to opioids (like morphine) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like aspirin), which carry risks of addiction, dependency or organ damage. But the recent elucidation of a new pain pathway may lead to the development of new treatment options. LabContinueContinue reading “Pain receptor turns up the heat”
Coral compound fights neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain is chronic pain that can arise from nerve damage resulting from inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). People worldwide suffer from neuropathic pain, which can include hyperalgesia (heightened pain sensation, such that mildly uncomfortable stimuli are perceived as severely painful) and allodynia (‘misplaced’ pain, such that nonpainful stimuli are perceived as painful).ContinueContinue reading “Coral compound fights neuropathic pain”
Restoring myelin, restoring nerve function
Loss of myelin underlies several disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) in humans, the most well known of which may be multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis affects roughly 2.5 million people worldwide and can cause a range of symptoms including fatigue, loss of coordination and balance, numbness, blurred vision or blindness and even paralysis. ItContinueContinue reading “Restoring myelin, restoring nerve function”
Mice, mitochondria and myopathy
New research has identified mitochondrial therapies that may benefit people who suffer from certain types of inherited neuromuscular disorders. Neuromuscular disorders affect a large number of children and adults worldwide, and mitochondrial involvement characterizes roughly 1 in 5,000 cases. Currently, treatments for mitochondrial diseases may relieve symptoms but do not target the disease itself. LabContinueContinue reading “Mice, mitochondria and myopathy”
Edible tools to fight Alzheimer’s
Two separate groups of researchers are now pursuing edible options for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. One study carried out by HyunSoon Kim (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology) and colleagues showed that tomatoes may serve as effective carriers for an oral vaccine against beta-amyloid in mice. Accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brainContinueContinue reading “Edible tools to fight Alzheimer’s”
A primate model for Huntington’s disease?
Huntington’s disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder. Rodent models of Huntington’s exist, but they do not reproduce the disease course and symptoms of affected humans very closely. This limits their applicability in evaluating the pathology and potential treatments for the disorder. Now, a group of scientists from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at EmoryContinueContinue reading “A primate model for Huntington’s disease?”
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