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. Continue reading
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 changing environment.
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 Genetics, the research unravels the autism code by creating a “genetic formula” that will help clinicians identify genetic mutations that have the highest and lowest likelihood of causing ASD. Continue reading
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. Continue reading
Scientists control rapid re-wiring of brain circuits using patterned visual stimulation
In a new study, published in this week’s issue of the journal Science, researchers show for the first time how the brain re-wires and fine-tunes its connections differently depending on the relative timing of sensory stimuli. In most neuroscience textbooks today, there is a widely held model that explains how nerve circuits might refine their connectivity based on patterned firing of brain cells, but it has not previously been directly observed in real time. Continue reading
New research published out of the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) uncovers a mechanism to promote growth in damaged nerve cells as a means to restore connections after injury. Dr. Doug Zochodne and his team have discovered a key molecule that directly regulates nerve cell growth in the damaged nervous system. His study was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, with lead authors Drs. Kim Christie and Anand Krishnan. Continue reading
Why do we tend to forget earlier memories, especially those from childhood, as we get older? New research from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) brings fresh insight into the mystery of infantile amnesia and begins to explain why we have no memories from our earliest years. Researchers demonstrate that new neuron formation, or neurogenesis, in the area of the brain where memories are stored, called the hippocampus, is associated with memory loss. Continue reading
Mice and rats stressed by male experimenters; reaction may skew research findings.
Scientists’ inability to replicate research findings using mice and rats has contributed to mounting concern over the reliability of such studies.
Now, an international team of pain researchers led by scientists at McGill University in Montreal may have uncovered one important factor behind this vexing problem: the gender of the experimenters has a big impact on the stress levels of rodents, which are widely used in preclinical studies. Continue reading
Researchers at the University of Toronto say a sleep disorder that causes people to act out their dreams is the best current predictor of brain diseases like Parkinson’s and many other forms of dementia.
“Rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is not just a precursor but also a critical warning sign of neurodegeneration that can lead to brain disease,” says associate professor and lead author Dr. John Peever. In fact, as many as 80 to 90 per cent of people with RBD will develop a brain disease.” Continue reading
Researchers from the uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute have made an important discovery in stroke research that could significantly advance recovery for patients. Their findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications on April 1, 2014.
When a person suffers a stroke, oxygen—a vital component for cell survival in the human brain—is cut off. This loss of oxygen not only causes immediate cell death in the primary stroke area, but also puts the cells in the surrounding areas at risk. If their ability to produce energy is not restored, they will eventually die. With this in mind, researchers worked to understand what happens to cellular energy production in affected cells and what could be done to help salvage them. Continue reading