26 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Neuroscientists Find Possible Biological Cause of NarcolepsyA team of neuroscientists at UCLAâs Center for Sleep Research has made a discovery that could signal a major find in the search for a cause and eventual cure for narcolepsy. Characterized by random, uncontrollable periods of deep sleep, the disorder has baffled the neuroscience community for years, and affects roughly one in every 3,000 Americans. The first breakthrough came in the year 2000, when...... Read More
25 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Scientists Turn Back the Aging Clock on Elderly BeesResearchers at Arizona State University have discovered a way to reverse brain aging in older honeybees, by giving them the kinds of responsibilities normally handled by much younger bees. The study and subsequent clinical applications may give us a new look at how social intervention and responsibility can bolster drug therapies in the fight against human dementia and brain aging. Researchers have...... Read More
24 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
H7N9 Raises Major Concerns About Transmission Between SpeciesA strain of avian influenza named H7N9 is causing serious concerns in scientists and physicians, worldwide, as itâs already killed 37 people and sickened 132 more in China this year alone. And a look at the way the virusâs cell biology works is causing anxiety levels to rise even more, as it appears that it can easily be transferred between species. Until now, H5N1 was the bird flu everyone had...... Read More
23 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Protein Interaction May be a Possible Cause of Alzheimer’sFor years, scientists have focused a majority of their Alzheimerâs research on two plaques found in the brain. Consisting of the proteins tau and amyloid-beta, these plaques have long been associated with the onset and progression of Alzheimerâs in patients. But a new neuroscience study focuses not on the proteins independently, but on how they interact with each other. The neuroscience study,...... Read More
22 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Ebola Cure May be Found in an Unlikely PlaceNew research on Ebola has led to some surprising discoveries. The deadly virus may be halted by two drugs already on the market. Clomiphene, an infertility medication, and Toremifene, which is used to treat advanced breast cancer, have both been found to thwart the Ebola virus from commandeering healthy cells in lab studies and clinical applications. Scientists began by screening more than 2,000 medications...... Read More
19 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Single Gene Mutation in Early Brain Development Can Cause a Lifetime of ProblemsCell Biologists at the Scripps Research Institute have released a study showing that the loss of a solitary gene during very early childhood mental development can (and often does) cause a lifetime of educational, intellectual and behavioral disturbances. The early development of neural circuits in the cortex are responsible for a certain number of a childâs brain functions, including decision...... Read More
18 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Neuroscientists Link Nervous System to ArthritisArthritis is a painful and often debilitating condition affecting millions of people. And while the inflammation and joint damage caused by arthritis are not exactly news, there is a decidedly poor selection of adequate treatments for the condition. Over the counter treatments donât always properly address a patientâs symptoms, while prescription medications cause serious side effects that only...... Read More
17 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
First Four-Quark Particle Discovery?Physicists at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis have made a possible discovery this week that may give the scientific community a glimpse at the force that holds nuclei together â and that might just give new answers regarding the first moments in our universeâs history. Since the 1960s, physicists have known that protons, neutrons, and hundreds of other particles are all made up of quarks....... Read More
16 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Sugar Solution Creates See-Through Brain TissueJapanese scientists and cell biologists at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology have developed a new water and sugar solution that turns tissue completely transparent. The see-through tissues are being used on mice to obtain brain images, unlike any ever seen before. For years, American and Japanese researchers in various cell biology fields have tried a wide variety of techniques to create...... Read More
15 Jul, 2013 | by Labroots
Study Sheds Light on a New Way to Treat Compulsive BehaviorFor the millions of adults suffering from compulsive behavior, including those affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Touretteâs Syndrome, their only relief has come in pill form. But a new neuroscience study from MIT is bringing to light a possible new way to treat things like OCD without antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs. Using optogenics, the neuroscience team at MIT has developed...... Read More