Author: Julie

Study on cerebral astrocytes in depression and suicide

Posted on | by Julie
Naguib Mechawar
Naguib Mechawar

Towards a better understanding of the mechanisms of depression

A new study published by the team of Naguib Mechawar, Ph.D., a researcher with the McGill Group for Suicide Studies (MGSS) of the Douglas Institute (CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île de Montréal) and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, sheds new light on the disruption of astrocytes in depression. Astrocytes, a class of non-neuronal cells, have previously been implicated in depression and suicide. However, it was not known whether these cells were affected throughout the brain or only in certain regions.

Continue reading →

Researchers get a closer look at how the Huntington’s gene works

Posted on | by Julie
Blair Leavitt
Blair Leavitt

Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation in the Huntington’s disease gene, but it has long been a mystery why some people with the exact same mutation get the disease more severely and earlier than others. A closer look at the DNA around the Huntington’s disease (HD) gene offers researchers a new understanding of how the gene is controlled and how this affects the disease. These findings set the stage for new treatments to delay or prevent the onset of this devastating brain disease. Continue reading →

How your brain reacts to emotional information is influenced by your genes

Posted on | by Julie
Rebecca Todd
Rebecca Todd

Your genes may influence how sensitive you are to emotional information, according to new research by a UBC neuroscientist. The study, recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience, found that carriers of a certain genetic variation perceived positive and negative images more vividly, and had heightened activity in certain brain regions. Continue reading →

Every bite you take, every move you make, astrocytes will be watching you

Posted on | by Julie
Arlette Kolta
Arlette Kolta

Chewing, breathing, and other regular bodily functions that we undertake “without thinking” actually do require the involvement of our brain, but the question of how the brain programs such regular functions intrigues scientists. A team lead by Arlette Kolta, a professor at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Dentistry, has shown that astrocytes play a key role. Continue reading →

How the blood-brain barrier is maintained

Posted on | by Julie
Alexandre Prat
Alexandre Prat

A study on a protein that helps maintain the blood-brain barrier and ameliorated the effects of a multiple sclerosis-like disease in an animal model.

The brain is a privileged organ in the body. So vital to life, the brain is protected from alterations elsewhere in the body by a highly regulated gateway known as the blood-brain barrier, which allows only selected molecules to pass through.

Continue reading →

Researchers halt brain swelling at the source

Posted on | by Julie
Brian MacVicar
Brian MacVicar
A team of researchers has made a significant discovery in the mechanism of brain swelling, paving the way to preventative treatment for severe to fatal brain damage following stroke, head injury or cardiac arrest. Their research, published today in Cell, paves the way for a preventative drug treatment for severe brain damage following stroke, infection, head injury or cardiac arrest. Continue reading →