Motor Neurone Study into Key Gene University researchers are leading a study that will enable them to model motor neurone disease in the laboratory. The research focuses on a gene which is believed to be relevant to more than 90 per cent of cases. [The University of Edinburgh Press Release]
Protein Regulates Enzyme Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers have zeroed in on a protein that may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The team found that increasing levels of the protein (called GGA3) prevented the accumulation of an enzyme linked to Alzheimer’s. [Press release from Tufts University discussing online prepublication in The Journal of Biological Chemistry]
Pipeline Robust for Treatment of Depression, but Studies in Children Still Rare
The drug development pipeline for the future treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is robust, based on the number and types of clinical trials in progress, according to investigators who described the clinical trial landscape. [Press release from Medscape Today discussing research presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2010 Annual Meeting]
Progress in Exploring New Avenues for Brain Repair
Researchers showed how astroglia can be directly converted into the two main classes of cortical neurons. [Press release from Ludwig-Maximilians University discussing online prepublication in PLoS Biology]
Directing Astroglia from the Cerebral Cortex into Subtype Specific Functional Neurons
Researchers show that strong and persistent expression of neurogenic fate determinants driven by silencing-resistant retroviral vectors instructs astroglia from the postnatal cortex in vitro to mature into fully functional, synapse-forming neurons. [PLoS Biology]
Control of Extracellular Dopamine at Dendrite and Axon Terminals
The conclusion is that the time course of dopamine within the extracellular space of the ventral tegmental area is dependent on both diffusion and reuptake, whereas the activation of D2 receptors on dopamine neurons is primarily limited by reuptake. [J Neurosci]
Ubiquitin Regulates GGA3-Mediated Degradation of BACE1
Here, researchers report that the accumulation of beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is rescued by the ectopic expression of golgi-localized gamma-ear-containing ARF binding protein 3 (GGA3) in H4 neuroglioma cells depleted of GGA3. [J Biol Chem]
Neuralstem Updates Clinical Trial Progress
Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. [Neuralstem, Inc. Press Release]
Podcasts Dedicated to the Latest Neuromuscular Research
Hosted by Kevin Flanigan, M.D., "This Month in Muscular Dystrophy" podcasts highlight the latest in muscular dystrophy and other inherited neuromuscular disease research. [Nationwide Children's Hospital Press Release]
Donald W. Pfaff and Bruce S. McEwen will Share 2010 Foundation Ipsen Neuronal Plasticity Prize
Donald W. Pfaff and Bruce S. McEwen have been named recipients of the 2010 Foundation Ipsen Neuronal Plasticity Prize for their studies on the neuroendocrine control of behavior. They share the prize with Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. [Rockefeller University Press Release]
$1.5 Million Award to Neuroscience Program
Neuroscience undergraduates will get broader laboratory experience, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that bolsters Boston University's increasingly popular brain research program. [Boston University Press Release]
FDA Approves New Treatment for Late-Onset Pompe Disease
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lumizyme (alglucosidase alfa) for patients ages 8 years and older with late-onset (non-infantile) Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]
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