TOP STORIES

Gladstone Scientists Identify Strategies to Protect New Brain Cells Against Alzheimer's Disease
Scientists have discovered that two main causes of Alzheimer's disease amyloid-beta peptides and apolipoprotein E4 impair the growth of new neurons born in adult brains. [Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco]

SCIENCE NEWS

Glial Cells Can Cross from the Central to the Peripheral Nervous System
Glial cells, which help neurons communicate with each other, can leave the central nervous system and cross into the peripheral nervous system to compensate for missing cells, according to new research. [University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver]

Lifelong Memories Linked to Stable Nerve Connections
Our ability to learn new information and adapt to changes in our daily environment, as well as to retain lifelong memories, appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve cells communicate, according to a new study. [NYU Langone Medicine Center, New York]

Stem Cell Research Gives Hope to Stroke Patients
Stroke-damaged brains could be repaired within 5-10 years using adult stem cells from teeth, according to one of Australia's leading stroke physicians. [University of Adelaide Centre for Stem Cell Research, Adelaide

Neurologix Completes All Surgical Procedures in Its Clinical Trial for Parkinson's Disease
Neurologix, Inc. announced the completion of all planned surgeries in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of the company's gene transfer approach to the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease. [Neurologix, Inc., Fort Lee]

Fruit Fly Neuron Can Reprogram Itself After Injury
Studies with fruit flies have shown that the specialized nerve cells called neurons can rebuild themselves after injury. These results are potentially relevant to research efforts to improve the treatment of patients with traumatic nerve damage or neurodegenerative disease. [Penn State University, University Park]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Impairment of Developmental Stem Cell-mediated Striatal Neurogenesis and Pluripotency Genes in a Knock-in Model of Huntington's Disease
Researchers demonstrate that HD knock-in (Hdh-Q111) mice exhibited delayed acquisition of early striatal cytoarchitecture with aberrant expression of progressive markers of medium spiny neuron neurogenesis (Islet1, DARPP-32, mGluR1, and NeuN). [PNAS]

Imbalance between GABAergic and Glutamatergic Transmission Impairs Adult Neurogenesis in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease
How amyloid {beta}, the key Alzheimer's disease pathogen, affects the development and function of adult-born neurons was examined in this study. [Cell Stem Cell]

Persistent Ca2+ Current Contributes to a Prolonged Depolarization in Aplysia Bag Cell Neurons
Researchers illustrate that prolonged depolarization in cultured bag cells neurons arises from Ca2+ influx triggering a cation current, followed by voltage-dependent activation of a persistent Ca2+ current and is subject to modulation. [J Neurophysiol]

Converging Molecular Pathways in Human Neural Development and Degeneration
For the first time, researchers show that newborn human infants have extremely high levels of phosphorylated tau in their cerebrospinal fluid, found in the adult human brain as a specific sign of Alzheimer's disease, and that these levels decrease during the first years of life. [Neurosci Res]

Frequent Amplification of a chr19q13.41 MicroRNA Polycistron in Aggressive Primitive Neuroectodermal Brain Tumors
Researchers discovered a high-level amplicon involving the chr19q13.41 microRNA (miRNA) cluster (C19MC) in 11/45 (~25%) primary CNS-PNET, which results in striking overexpression of miR-517c and 520g. [Cancer Cell]

cGMP Modulates Stem Cells Differentiation to Neurons in Brain In Vivo
The researchers' aim of this work was to assess the role of cyclic GMP in the modulation of differentiation of neural stem cells to neurons or non-neuronal cells. [Neuroscience]

INDUSTRY NEWS

Stem Cell Commercialization Center in Detroit Aims to Create Jobs
A new stem cell commercialization center is set to open in Detroit's TechTown incubator as early as July and is seeking federal grants to bring new high-tech jobs to the city.

Women Researchers Less Likely to Receive Major Career Funding Grants
Women were less likely than men to receive major funding for scientific research. The study also found that only a quarter of all researchers, both men and women, who received a major early career award went on to get further federal funding within five years.

POLICY NEWS

U.S. Set to Fund More Stem Cell Study
The Obama administration has begun approving new lines of human embryonic stem cells that are eligible for federally funded experiments, opening the way for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used to conduct research that was put off-limits by President George W. Bush.

Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity Through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (R25)

EVENTS

The Biology and Pathology of Tau and Its Role in Tauopathies
January 7-8, 2010
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Keystone Symposia: Alzheimer's Disease Beyond Abeta (A4)
January 10-15, 2010
Copper Mountain, United States

CHI's Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference 2010
February 3-5, 2010
San Francisco, United States

Keystone Symposia: Stem Cell Differentiation and Dedifferentiation (B4)
February 15-20, 2010
Keystone, United States

2010 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting
May 15-18, 2010
Ottawa, Canada

ISSCR 8th Annual Meeting
June 16-19, 2010
San Francisco, United States

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