Brain

A group of researchers at Osaka University in cooperation with the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), succeeded in elucidating the secondary structure of Lewy bodies in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients for the first time with synchrotron Fourier transform infrared micro-spectroscopy (FTIRM).

PULLMAN, Wash. - Expanding the range of black men's career options in an increasingly technology-oriented world will help alleviate high unemployment and poverty they often experience, according to a study examining the career paths of successful black men in college.

The study comes at a time when minority college students who take STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) jobs may earn at least 50 percent more than their peers studying humanities or education, yet black men comprise only 2.2 percent of those working in information technology (IT) occupations.

UCLA scientists have discovered that an overlooked region in brain cells houses a motherlode of mutated genes previously tied to autism. Recently published in Neuron, the finding could provide fresh drug targets and lead to new therapies for the disorder, which affects one in 68 children in the United States.

In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the inner walls of arteries that deliver blood to the body. Studying mice and tissue samples from the arteries of patients, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest this accumulation is driven, at least in part, by processes similar to the plaque formation implicated in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The study is published in the journal Science Signaling.

Los Angeles, CA (January 12, 2016) Game advocates are calling for a sweeping transformation of conventional education to replace traditional curricula with game-based instruction. But what do researchers have to say about this idea and what is the role of policymakers? A new study out today discourages an educational revolution based on gaming and encourages adding promising features to games in schools including heightened use of explanative feedback in games and relevant pregame activities.

The compound CGP3466B, already proven nontoxic for people, may effectively and rapidly treat depression, according to results of a study in mice.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientists who conducted the research say that the compound -- previously shown to block cocaine craving in the brains of rodents -- delivers antidepressant effects to mice within hours instead of weeks or months, like currently available antidepressants. The results of the study will be summarized Jan. 12 online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine.

New research from Emory University School of Medicine is providing hints as to which forms of depression may respond best to drugs that target glutamate.

The findings are scheduled for publication online on January 12 in Molecular Psychiatry.

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered an unusual regulator of body weight and the metabolic syndrome: a molecular mechanism more commonly associated with brain cells. Lowering levels of P75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR)--a receptor involved in neuron growth and survival--protected mice fed a high-fat diet from developing obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Jan. 11, 2015 - For half a century, the accepted research on happiness has shown our lives on a U-shaped curve, punctuated by a low point that we've come to know as the "mid-life crisis". A number of studies have claimed over the years that happiness declines for most from the early 20s to middle age (40 to 60). Today, the "mid-life crisis" is a generally accepted phenomenon, fodder for sitcoms and the subject of advertising propaganda the world over - but does it actually exist?

New research shows that the cells responsible for protecting the brain from infection and inflammation are also responsible for repairing the system of defenses that separates the brain from the rest of the body. These findings have significant clinical implications because certain cardiovascular drugs could possibly impede the brain's ability to repair itself after a stroke or other injury.

"Very little is known about the mechanisms behind the production of vocal emotion", says lead author Jean-Julien Aucouturier from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France.

"Previous research has suggested that people try to manage and control their emotions, for example hold back an expression or reappraise feelings. We wanted to investigate what kind of awareness people have of their own emotional expressions."

The brain prepares multiple available movements before deciding between them, according to findings from Queen's researchers Jason Gallivan and Randy Flanagan.

The research helps explain how the brain initially represents and decides between competing action options.

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA - Pyrethrum is a perennial, herbaceous plant grown mainly for the production of pyrethrins. Pyrethrins have insecticidal properties and are commonly used in natural and organic products as a pest control agent. Determining pyrethrin yield, which is measured by flower biomass and pyrethrin ester content of the biomass, has traditionally been accomplished by manually harvesting and counting pyrethrum flowers. These methods are quite labor-intensive, can be destructive to the sampled area, and may cause damage to surrounding crops.

Aging research is a very controversial area with many failed claims and promises and in order to establish the proof of concept of its approach, InSilico Medicine decided to build a sustainable business model providing pathway activation analysis and machine learning services to pharmaceutical companies, academic and clinical institutions helping drive innovation in many areas of research.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new study from the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program of the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis explores the illicit treatment of racing tires with volatile chemicals to improve function and presents a new and effective method to determine if tires have been doctored.