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Originally published by University of California, San Francisco, on May 24, 2024 Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.010 Scientists have known for years that a lattice of blood vessels nourishes cells in the retina that allow us to see —but it's been a mystery how the intricate structure is created . Now , researchers at UC San Francisco have found a new type of neuron that guides its formation . The discovery, described in Cell , could one day lead to new therapie s for diseases that are related to impaired blood flow in the eyes and brain. "This is the first time anyone has seen retinal neurons using direct contact with blood vessels as a way of guiding them to form these precise 3D lattices ," said Xin Duan, Ph.D., an associate professor of ophthalmology and senior author of the study. "This brings us closer to the possibility of repairing them when they're damaged or rerouting them when they weren't built ...

Originally published by The Scripps Research Institute, on May 22, 2024   A tiny glass tube (top left) represents the electrode recording from an excitatory human Alzheimer's neuron, generated using modern stem cell techniques (dark blue, at tip of tube). Credit: Scripps Research According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , at least 5.8 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, in part because scientists do not yet have a full understanding of what causes the disease. But a new study from Scripps Research is shedding light on the molecular drivers that could contribute to Alzheimer's progression. In the study, published in Advanced Science , the researchers used a new technique for studying single, living brain cells affected by Alzheimer's disease. By measuring the electrical activity of single neurons and the protein levels within ...

Originally published by Tokyo University of Science, on February 13, 2024 Researchers discovered that activating a specific group of oxytocin neurons in the mouse brain improves performance in novel object recognition tasks. Credit: Akiyoshi Saitoh, Tokyo University of Science Oxytocin ( OXT) is a hormone that is known for its effects on psychological well-being and emotional bonding in animals . Interestingly, research has shown that this natural chemical in the brain plays a c rucial role in other cognitive processes as well, including learning and memory . Now, scientists may have discovered exactly how OXT influences memory in animals by studying "OXT neurons" that contain OXT receptors and function differently based on the availability of the chemical in the brain . In a recent study published in PLOS One , a group of researchers, headed by Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, along with Junpei Takahashi from the Tokyo University of Science , delved into the complex...

Originally published by University of Lausanne on September 6, 2023   Credit: Public Domain A research team from University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Wyss Center, has discovered a new type of cell essential for brain function . Hybrid in composition and function, in between the two types of brain cells known so far—the neurons and the glial cells—these cells of a new order are present in several brain regions in mice and humans . The study published in the journal Nature shows that these cells promote the ability to memorize , the brain control of movements , and contrast the insurgence of epileptic seizures . Neuroscience is in great upheava l. The two major families of cells that make up the brain, neurons and glial cells, secretly hid a hybrid cell, halfway between these two categories. For as long as neuroscience has existed, it has been recognized that the brain works primarily thanks to the neurons and their ability to rapidly elaborate and transmit info...