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Neuroscience news

Genetics

Comprehensive map reveals neuronal dendrites in the mouse brain in greater detail

Understanding the shape or morphology of neurons and mapping the tree-like branches via which they receive signals from other cells (i.e., dendrites) is a long-standing objective of neuroscience research. Ultimately, this ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

When anger hurts: How feeling wronged can intensify chronic pain

We all know stress can worsen pain, but new research shows that anger and a sense of injustice may be even more powerful triggers.

Psychology & Psychiatry

Breathe in, breathe out: How respiration shapes remembering

First and foremost, we breathe in order to absorb oxygen—but this vital rhythm could also have other functions. Over the past few years, a range of studies have shown that respiration influences neural processes, including ...

Neuroscience

Single enzyme failure found to drive neuron loss in dementia

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich uncovered a mechanism that protects nerve cells from premature cell death, known as ferroptosis. The study provides ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How the brain prioritizes bodily signals in conscious awareness

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritized for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own—through ...

Genetics

Hidden cellular layers revealed in brain's memory center

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a previously unknown pattern of organization in one of the brain's most important ...

Neuroscience

How the brain protects itself from Alzheimer's disease

High levels of calcium are toxic to cells and contribute to loss of neurons in Alzheimer's disease. A new study published in JCI Insight identifies a mechanism through which the young brain protects itself against high calcium ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Brain circuit controlling compulsive behavior mapped

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are available. The study ...

Neuroscience

How the cheese-noodle principle could help counter Alzheimer's

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have clarified how spermine—a small molecule that regulates many processes in the body's cells—can guard against diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: It renders ...

Genetics

RNA editing study finds many ways for neurons to diversify

All starting from the same DNA, neurons ultimately take on individual characteristics in the brain and body. Differences in which genes they transcribe into RNA help determine which type of neuron they become, and from there, ...

Oncology & Cancer

A microRNA cocktail weakens brain tumors in preclinical trials

A patented RNA-based cocktail developed at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) has emerged as a promising active agent against tumors of the central nervous system, such as glioblastoma.