Journeying along axons, microscopic powerhouses known as mitochondria provide cells with the energy they need to function. When something goes wrong with the axonal transport and mitochondria isn't delivered, the system fails, and the cell body dies. Scientists in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis study the cellular bases of neurological disorders. Their recent research focuses...
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Long before a newborn baby takes its first breath, oxygen plays an integral role in its development. Oxygen-rich blood fed through the placenta facilitates the growth of a healthy fetus, powering cells to form organs and biological systems so that a healthy human emerges after nine months in utero. However, when a fetus doesn't receive enough oxygen, birth defects such as cerebral palsy can occur. Scientists...
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A stroke can leave its victim mentally and physically devastated. Recovery is demanding, and takes drive and determination. If the patient doesn't receive medical attention within the small, critical window of time after the stroke occurs, chances of a quick recovery are slim. Developments in stem cell research find doctors optimistic about new possibilities for stroke rehabilitation. Scientists at the Stanford Stroke Center, one of the...
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When Pavlov's dogs started salivating in response to a ringing bell, something happened in their brains—a memory was encoded. Over a century later scientists are still figuring out how memories are physically represented in the brain. One lingering question has been whether or not the same set of neurons is activated when a particular memory is formed. Researchers at the Johnson Lab at the Uniformed...
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During pregnancy, the uterus grows to accommodate the increasing size of the fetus within. Makes sense. But what is it exactly that compels the uterus to get bigger? If you said pregnancy hormones, you're right. And if you said the growing fetus, stretching the uterine walls, you're right too. Researchers attribute the growth of the uterus during pregnancy to both hormones and mechanical stretch (the fetus...
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What would you do with a neuron if you could activate its synapses in any combination you wanted? Tiago Branco, Beverley A. Clark and Michael Hauser created a chance to do just that (Branco, 2010). The authors, using in-vitro brain slices containing layer II/III pyramidal cells in visual or somatosensory cortex of rats, were able to excite identified spines in any order and with whatever...
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You could have the best hearing aids on the market, but if there is damage to the central auditory system, you're still not going to hear. Comprised of a sophisticated network that includes the auditory cortex and the inferior colliculi, the central auditory system is the part of the brain responsible for processing sound. Scientists at the Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León and...
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The microscopic world just got a whole lot clearer for scientists around the world who use MBF Bioscience software. When images are magnified as intensely as they are in today's world of highly advanced scientific research, they don't always appear crystal clear. But by incorporating the clarifying process of deconvolution to microscopic images, previously hidden details emerge, allowing scientists to work with greater facility. Deconvolution is...
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Scientific research shows that women are twice as likely as men to develop stress disorders. Why are women more sensitive than men to stress? A recent research study presents new evidence that estrogen could play a role. The symptoms of disorders like major depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder lead neuroscientists to speculate that a dysfunction occurs in the way the medial prefrontal cortex connects...
Read MoreStomach pain, heartburn, and head rushes are frequent complaints of patients suffering from long-term diabetes. Doctors usually blame these symptoms on autonomic neuropathy, a dysfunction of the nerves that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. But there's really not all that much evidence out there to prove this diagnosis. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Wake Forest University set out to discover the...
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