How do primitive cells “know” where to go during development? Scientists studying the fish equivalent of inner-ear hair cells have shown that biochemical and mechanical cues work together to orchestrate a highly complex arrangement.
In findings that might lead to better smoking-cessation tools, scientists have shown that manipulating a specific brain receptor can alter a mouse’s nicotine sensitivity.
Scientists find a new brain area in control of our attention skills, raising new questions in what has long been considered a settled scientific field.
Researchers have identified a set of biological factors in mice that seem to determine one's ability to bounce back from a traumatic event, and provide preliminary evidence that a naturally-occurring substance may help boost resiliency in the face of stressful situations.
Protein clumps are routinely found in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Now researchers find a link between this buildup and the intracellular movement of proteasomes, molecular machines tasked with degrading protein waste inside cells.
A new study finds that neurons affected in Parkinson’s disease can shut down without fully dying, allowing them to also switch off neighboring cells. The findings might give scientists a better understanding of how the condition wreaks havoc in the brain, as well as ideas for new treatments.
Scientists have found that many receptors with high potential for drug discovery take a different configuration inside the body than in the test tube. The findings could explain why some promising drugs fail in clinical trials, and potentially open doors to new drug-development approaches.
Ruta, who investigates how the brain is modified by experience, has received a MacArthur Fellowship, an award intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.
Using a new technique to study brain development, scientists were able to trace the causes of Huntington's back to early developmental stages when the brain has only just begun to form.
