Month: October 2012
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Early life adversity affects broad regions of brain DNA
Study provides strong evidence of a biological process that embeds social experience in DNA that affects not just a few genes but entire networks of genes. Early life experience results in a broad change in the way our DNA is “epigenetically” chemically marked in the brain by a coat of small chemicals called methyl groups,…
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Scientists discover gene behind rare disorders
International study with researchers at The Neuro reveals links with other neurodegenerative diseases Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University working with a team at Oxford University have uncovered the genetic defect underlying a group of rare genetic disorders.
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Kurt Haas discovers master regulator of brain plasticity
Synaptic plasticity, or the ability of neurons to form, strengthen, or weaken connections with each other, has long been studied as the basis for learning and memory. While the cellular processes and biological mechanisms involved are complex, much progress has been made at the Brain Research Centre and other research institutes around the world towards…
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Maternal depression affects language development in babies
Maternal depression and a common class of antidepressants can alter a crucial period of language development in babies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Harvard University and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children’s Hospital. Published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of…
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Researchers link genetic mutation to psychiatric disease and obesity
McGill researchers have identified a small region in the genome that conclusively plays a role in the development of psychiatric disease and obesity. The key lies in the genomic deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a nervous system growth factor that plays a critical role in brain development. To determine the role of BDNF…