The journal Neurosurgery has reported on work conducted by scientists in Sweden, Norway and the U.S. which has successfully produced functioning neurons from adult stem cells. Importantly, the newly grown neurons were capable of communicating through synapses. The researchers believe their work holds promise for treating patients with degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and […]
Conventional wisdom holds that a single brain cell, or neuron, acts like an on-off switch, working in concert with other neurons to generate thought patterns. But how does the human brain translate varied and even abstract visual images into a single instantly and consistently recognizable concept? A research team from UCLA and California Institute of […]
After much trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells into becoming spinal motor neurons, the critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body. The findings, reported in the journal Nature, are important because they provide guidance for scientists trying to repair damaged or diseased […]
Maybe you really are what you eat. This would solve the long-time mystery of why so many of Guam’s Chamorro people – up to a third per village – suffered a devastating neurological disease. A new study suggests that they gorged on flying fox bats that in turn had feasted on neurotoxin-laden cycad seeds. “Through […]
