After an initial spinal cord injury, a cascading series of secondary events continues to do damage to the nervous system. One particularly damaging event is the death of oligodendrocytes—neuroglial cells that help protect and support the central nervous system. Scientists are learning more about the mechanisms involved in this process in the hope that their research may lead to the development of new therapeutic treatments...
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Researchers have identified two strains of mutant C. elegans that lose the majority of their dopaminergic neurons in adulthood, a characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The two strains of mutant C. elegans (ot337 and ot477) showed normal development of dopaminergic neurons, however these neurons began to progressively decline in adulthood; and the deterioration was not an occurrence of the normal aging process, the authors say in...
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The deepest parts of the ocean are dark. For marine animals living one thousand feet below sea level and lower, the absence of light makes it challenging to find food, attract a mate, and identify predators. Some animals make their own light through a process called bioluminescence. Others have adapted in ways that help them detect light in an environment beyond the reach of the sun's...
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We are happy to announce that Biolucida, our learning management software, is now hosting the Iowa Virtual Slidebox. This vast repository of digitized tissue specimens is open to the public and is free of charge. Virtual slides in this collection are used by educators around the world to teach histopathology and histology. “Educators and students will now have easier and quicker access to virtual slides from...
Read More The human brain undergoes extraordinary development in utero, with major growth continuing throughout childhood, especially during the first year. Scientists know a lot about how the neurons and circuits of the human brain develop in infancy, but a lack of specific knowledge about key elements has left doctors mystified by certain childhood disorders like SIDS and autism. Neuroscientists at Ludwig-Maximillians-University of Munich have made new revelations...
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With some exceptions, humans and animals prefer to live in an environment free of filth. We clean our bodies and our homes so we can live healthy and productive lives. It turns out, the brain does too. Researchers at the University of Rochester discovered that the brain cleans itself during sleep—explaining one of the major reasons we partake in a nightly ritual that has mystified scientists...
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Scientists discovered that inactivity makes brain cells grow, but not in a good way. In a study published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology, researchers found more neuronal branching in sedentary rats compared to active rats. The growth occurred in a region of the brain that controls blood pressure, leading the scientists to hypothesize that these changes may be part of the reason inactivity is...
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[caption id="attachment_5185" align="aligncenter" width="584"] The granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus. Image provided by Mark Maynard.[/caption] Binge drinking damages brain regions responsible for memory, decision-making, and behavioral control. After a binge, the brain begins to heal itself but not much is known about this self-repair process. In a study published in PLoS ONE, researchers used rats to find that binge drinking damages the hippocampus, and...
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The loss of cholinergic neurons is one of the earliest pathological events of Alzheimer’s disease. Cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain supply the cerebral cortex with acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter that plays a role in learning, memory, and attention. Details about the function and organization of basal forebrain (BF) neurons are not well understood, but Dr. Laszlo Zaborszky has recently uncovered new information about the...
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Social isolation is stressful. Scientists have known it for decades. They also know that isolation causes changes to occur in the brains of rodents and primates. But most studies examine the effects of isolation during childhood; and the ones that do focus on adulthood tend to use male subjects. For the first time, researchers in Spain show that long-term social isolation causes part of the...
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