Distinct FGFs Promote Differentiation of Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapses
Here, researchers show that two members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, FGF22 and FGF7, promote the organization of excitatory and inhibitory presynaptic terminals, respectively, as target-derived presynaptic organizers. [Nature]
Binge Drinking Spiked Tang Damages Teenage Monkeys’ Brains Researchers show that alcohol decreases the levels of stem cells in the brain, which may lower its ability to repair damage. [Press release from Nature: The Great Beyond discussing online publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA]
Researchers Find Gene Linked to Birth Defects
An international group of researchers has identified the genetic cause of an inherited condition that causes severe foetal abnormalities. [Press release from the University of Leeds discussing online prepublication in Nature Genetics]
Key to Psychological Disorder May Lie in the Immune System
A type of cell that is known to protect the brain against infection could be involved in a form of psychological disorder, a new study reveals. [Press release from Nature News discussing online prepublication in Cell]
Learning Strategies are Associated with Distinct Neural Signatures
The process of learning requires the sophisticated ability to constantly update our expectations of future rewards so we may make accurate predictions about those rewards in the face of a changing environment. Although exactly how the brain orchestrates this process remains unclear, a new study suggests that a combination of two distinct learning strategies guides our behavior. [Press release from the California Institute of Technology discussing online prepublication in Neuron]
University of Alberta Discovery Offers Promising Research for Spinal-Cord Injury Treatments University of Alberta researchers have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for the thousands of people who live with spinal-cord injuries in Canada. Researchers have identified one of the body’s natural self-repair mechanisms that kick in after injury. [Press release from the University of Alberta discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine]
Gene Causes Blue Light to Have a Banana Odor Bochum scientists have succeeded to genetically modify Drosophila larvae allowing them to smell blue light. The research team can activate single receptor neurons out of 28 olfactory neurons in the larvae for this sensory perception. [Press release from Ruhr Universitat Bochum discussing online prepublication in Frontiers in Neuroscience Behavior]
Control of Extracellular Dopamine at Dendrite and Axon Terminals
This study used electrochemical and electrophysiological methods to compare the time course and calcium dependence of somatodendritic dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta to that of axonal dopamine release in the dorsal striatum. [J Neurosci]
Optogenetically Induced Olfactory Stimulation in Drosophila Larvae Reveals the Neuronal Basis of Odor-Aversion Behavior
Olfactory stimulation induces an odor-guided crawling behavior of Drosophila melanogaster larvae characterized by either an attractive or a repellent reaction. In order to understand the underlying processes leading to these orientations, researchers stimulated single olfactory receptor neurons through photo-activation within an intact neuronal network. [Front Behav Neurosci]
Cloud Computing Aids Mental Illness, Ophthalmic Projects Drug developers are beginning to put cloud computing and enterprise search capabilities to work for them. The tools are aiding development efforts by helping researchers and clinicians collaborate over distances. [FierceBiotech IT]
Toxcure’s Neurotoxin Treatment for Cancer Gains U.S. Patent Toxcure, LLC announced the grant of U.S. Patent No. 7,709,440, which provides Toxcure with intellectual property protection for a method of treating various tumors with neurotoxins. [Toxcure Press Release]
Techne Corporation Announces That Dr. Roeland Nusse Has Accepted a Seat on Its Board of Directors
Techne Corporation announced that Roeland Nusse, Ph.D. has accepted a position on the Techne Corporation Board of Directors and will also serve as a member of Techne’s Nominations and Governance Committee. Dr. Nusse's past studies have involved the activity of proteins that determine cell fate during embryogenesis. His lab has also used purified proteins to manipulate the behavior of stem cells in culture, in particular neural stem cells. [Techne Corporation Press Release]
Q Therapeutics Collaborators at Johns Hopkins to Study Use of Neural Glial Cells in Treatment of Myelin Disorders
Q Therapeutics, Inc. announced that Piotr Walczak, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University has received notification of a $1,000,000 grant to be awarded by the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) which will enable further study of Q’s human neural glial cell product Q-Cells(R) in preclinical models of demyelinating disease. [Johns Hopkins University Newswire]
Congress Considers Synthetic Biology Risks, Benefits
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the government is moving quickly to bring synthetic biology under review by two existing panels that have done a good job of monitoring cutting-edge research in the past. [U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States]
NIH Set to Tighten Financial Rules for Researchers
After a wave of financial scandals over the past few years involving biomedical researchers, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed far-reaching changes that would lead to tighter oversight of agency-funded extramural investigators and their institutions. [National Institutes of Health, United States]
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