Category: News
-
An eye-catching result
Research determines how the brain recognizes what’s important at first glance. Researchers at the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS) at Queen’s University have discovered that a region of the brain – the superior colliculus – contains a mechanism responsible for interpreting how visual input from a scene determines where we look. This mechanism, known as…
-
New research shows how seizures can cause stroke-like events, which may be preventable
Scientists identify mechanism for brain dysfunction following seizures and drugs that prevent this impairment from occurring. Six years ago, Cam Teskey, PhD, decided to follow a hunch. Armed with an advanced new tool designed to measure oxygen levels in tissues, he wanted to look at the brains of rats to see what was happening during…
-
Lack of joy from music linked to brain disconnection
Have you ever met someone who just wasn’t into music? They may have a condition called specific musical anhedonia, which affects three-to-five per cent of the population. Researchers at the University of Barcelona and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University have discovered that people with this condition showed reduced functional connectivity between…
-
Breakthrough in MS treatment
Drug shown to reduce new attacks/symptom progression in some patients In separate clinical trials, a drug called ocrelizumab has been shown to reduce new attacks in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), and new symptom progression in primary progressive MS. Three studies conducted by an international team of researchers, which included Amit Bar-Or and…
-
An inherited form of intellectual disability, due to mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene, impairs connection of inhibitory neurons
Intellectual disability is characterized by significant impairment of cognitive and adaptive functions and affects 1-3 in 100 individuals worldwide. A few years ago, scientists at CHU Ste.Justine reported for the first time that genetic mutations in the gene SYNGAP1 cause a form of intellectual disability, which is often associated with autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy.…
-
McMaster Scientists Discover Autism Gene Slows Down Brain Cell Communication
Scientists at McMaster University’s Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in collaboration with Sick Children’s Hospital have discovered genetic alterations in the gene DIXDC1 in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This gene was found to change the way brain cells grow and communicate. This finding, published today in Cell Reports, provides new insights into…
-
Researchers at Université Laval identify a mechanism that leads to the death of neurons in Parkinson’s disease
It is known that neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s cause the gradual death of brain neurons. But what exactly are the mechanisms that go awry to cause degeneration of nerve cells? A team of researchers from Université Laval and the Quebec Mental Health Research Institute investigated the matter and show, in an article in Proceedings…
-
Gaming camera could aid MS treatment
3D depth-sensing camera shown to measure walking difficulties A commonly used device found in living rooms around the world could be a cheap and effective means of evaluating the walking difficulties of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The Microsoft Kinect is a 3D depth-sensing camera used in interactive video activities such as tennis and dancing. It…
-
Journey to the end of the neuron
Study confirms the existence of a molecular transport mechanism involved in fragile X syndrome A team from the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec– Université Laval has furthered our understanding of fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of mental retardation in children. The article published by these researchers in…
-
Brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst before sleep
Discovery could lead to ways to mitigate effects of jet lag and shift work The brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst in the hours before sleep, according to a study published in the journalNature by McGill University researchers. The finding — along with the discovery of the molecular process behind it — provides the first insight…