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Neuroscience news
Brain scan series aid concussed rugby players
Ravi Menon
Researchers at Western have developed an objective way to monitor female athletes’ concussion injury, by using brain scans to study their brains over time.
By using a technique that combines both structural and functional MRI information, Western University researchers were able to identify three unique signatures – one that shows acute brain changes after an athlete has suffered a concussion, another that can identify persistent brain changes six months after the concussion and a third that shows evidence of concussion history.
Hormone could slow Alzheimer’s progression
Fernanda De Felice
Queen’s University researcher discovers potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Queen’s University researcher Fernanda De Felice (Psychiatry), along with co-authors from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, have identified an exercise-linked hormone that could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This research was recently published in the high-profile publication, Nature Medicine.
Biologists at University of Alberta identify promising drug for ALS treatment
Ted Allison and Michele DuVal
Scientists find a new application for an existing drug, with potential to slow progression of the devastating degenerative disease.
A drug typically used to treat hepatitis could slow the progression of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to new research by University of Alberta scientists.
Gut hormone increases response to food
Dr. Alain Dagher
Ghrelin promotes conditioning to food-related odours
The holiday season is a hard one for anyone watching their weight. The sights and smells of food are hard to resist. One factor in this hunger response is a hormone found in the stomach that makes us more vulnerable to tasty food smells, encouraging overeating and obesity. New research on the hormone ghrelin was published on Dec. 4, 2018, led by Dr. Alain Dagher’s lab at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University.
VIP type neurons connect two brain regions involved in memory consolidation
Lisa Topolnik
Researchers have discovered a type of neuron that would coordinate the consolidation of memory
In an article published today in Nature Communications, researchers from Université Laval and Oxford University report having discovered a new type of neuron in the mouse brain. These neurons connect two structures associated with memory and may coordinate the consolidation of information about contextual or episodic memory.
Can’t sleep? Fruit flies and energy drinks offer new clues
Peco, van Meyel, Davla
Source: MUHC Newsroom
Sleep is an essential behavioural state in animals ranging from invertebrates to humans. It is critical for immune function, stable metabolism, brain repair, learning and memory. Over the course of a lifetime, more than 30 per cent of people will experience a sleep disorder, which is associated with a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Immune cells cross-talk to prevent damage-driving inflammation following CNS injury
Samuel David
New research by Samuel David at McGill University provides new insight on the role of macrophages and resident microglia following injury to the central nervous system.
Infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and resident microglia dominate at sites of central nervous system (CNS) injury. These cells have different origins – MDMs arise from the bone marrow throughout life, while microglia arise from the yolk sac during embryonic development and populate the CNS.
Identification of a brain region involved in controlling pupil dilatation to optimize vision
Doug Munoz
New research by Chin-An Wang and Douglas Munoz, at Queen’s University, shows that a brain region called the intermediate superior colliculus (SCi) helps regulate the size of the pupil to optimize visual sensitivity and sharpness. Interestingly, brain processing of an object begins even before one shifts their gaze towards the object. This research shows that the size of the pupil is adjusted to the light level of the target, independent of the general light level, before the movement of the eyes towards this target.
Congratulations to the Canadian neuroscientists inducted to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Congratulations to the new fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Induction into the CAHS as a Fellow is considered one of the highest honours within Canada’s academic community.
The newly inducted fellows include the following neuroscientists:
