Humans have developed sophisticated concepts like mass and gravity to explain a wide range of everyday phenomena, but scientists have remarkably little understanding of how such concepts are represented by the brain.
Using advanced neuroimaging techniques, Queen’s University researchers have revealed how the brain stores knowledge about an object’s weight – information critical to our ability to successfully grasp and interact with objects in our environment. Continue reading
A genetic variant conveys significant protection
Judes Poirier, PhD, C.Q., from the Douglas Mental Health Institute and McGill University in Montréal (Canada) and his team have discovered that a relatively frequent genetic variant actually conveys significant protection against the common form of Alzheimer’s disease and can delay the onset of the disease by as much as 4 years. This discovery opens new avenues for treatment against this devastating disease. Continue reading
Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University and McGill University Health Centre have shown that a member of the protein family known as SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) is a key to why tumour cells multiply uncontrollably, especially in the case of glioblastoma. The SUMO family proteins modify other proteins and the SUMOylation of proteins are critical for many cellular processes. Identifying SUMO’s role in the cancer cell growth will lead to a new strategy for glioblastoma treatment. Continue reading
A study published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience by Yves De Koninck and Robert Bonin, two researchers at Université Laval, reveals that it is possible to relieve pain hypersensitivity using a new method that involves rekindling pain so that it can subsequently be erased. This discovery could lead to novel means to alleviate chronic pain. Continue reading
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 the gene for a protein, known as cotransporter KCC2. Continue reading
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 and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading
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 to treat it, but could also lead to the development of new therapies against various neurodegenerative disorders. Continue reading
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 based on their commonalities, forming a pattern or category. Continue reading
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 the media, while regulatory action is lacking and ethical issues need to be addressed. Continue reading
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 who suffer from depression. Continue reading