Month: June 2014
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International study yields important clues to the genetics of epilepsy
An international team of researchers has discovered a significant genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), the most common form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrolled electrical discharges in the brain expressed as a seizure. The new research, published in this week’s issue of EMBO Reports, implicates a mutation in…
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Vitamin D Receptor is Involved in Slowing the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
PhD student Matthew Durk and Professor K. Sandy Pang at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy were lead and senior authors on a study recently published as a featured article in the Journal of Neuroscience (Vol 34:7091-7101, 2014). This study explores the role the Vitamin D receptor may play in the prevention…
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Healthy tissues grafted to the brain of people with Huntington also develop signs of the disease
A recent study published in the journal Annals of Neurology reports that healthy tissue grafted to the brain of people with Huntington’s disease, in the hope of countering this neurological disorde, also develop signs of disease several years after transplantation. This discovery has not only profound implications for our understanding of the disease and how…
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SickKids study shows how the brain creates the “big picture” by amalgamating memories over time
Scientists have long hypothesized that our overall understanding of the world is based on collections of experiences, rather than distinct, individual memories. In a new study led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), neuroscientists demonstrate for the first time that long after a set of related memories is formed the brain amalgamates the memories…
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What is being said in the media and academic literature about neurostimulation?
Over the past several decades, neurostimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have gradually gained favour in the public eye. In a new report, published in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron, IRCM ethics experts directed by University of Montreal’s professor Éric Racine raise important questions about the rising tide of tDCS coverage in…
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A tiny molecule may help battle depression
Researchers find a small molecule that predicts treatment response for depressed patients Levels of a small molecule found only in humans and in other primates are lower in the brains of depressed individuals, according to researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Institute. This discovery may hold a key to improving treatment options for those…
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University of Toronto biologists pave the way for improved epilepsy treatments
Discovery may lead to relief for victims of a range of neurological disorders University of Toronto biologists leading an investigation into the cells that regulate proper brain function, have identified and located the key players whose actions contribute to afflictions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.
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‘Sticky synapses’ can impair new memories by holding on to old ones
A team of UBC neuroscientists has found that synapses that are too strong or ‘sticky’ can actually hinder our capacity to learn new things. University of British Columbia researchers have discovered that so-called “sticky synapses” in the brain can impair new learning by excessively hard-wiring old memories and inhibiting our ability to adapt to our…
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Unlocking autism’s code: Professor Stephen Scherer
New formula for identifying disorder at younger age could mean earlier therapy, better tests A Toronto research team has identified the formula for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at an earlier age. This will let patients receive therapies at an earlier age, while helping to create more advanced genetic diagnostic tests. Published recently in Nature…
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Brenda Milner awarded prestigious Kavli Prize in Neuroscience
Brenda Milner, an active researcher at the age of 95 at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) is a recipient of the prestigious Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for 2014. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters also announced Thursday winners in Astrophysics and Nanoscience. Milner shares the Neuroscience award with two other researchers.