Compulsive no more
By activating a brain circuit that controls compulsive behavior, MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can block a compulsive behavior in mice — a result that could help researchers develop new treatments for diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD and Tourette’s syndrome. MIT neuroscientists used light to control the activity of neurons involved in […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - June 8, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
An unforgettable life
In 1953, a young man named Henry Molaison underwent an experimental operation that doctors hoped would control his frequent epileptic seizures. When the surgeon could not locate the origin of Molaison’s seizures, he removed a structure known as the hippocampus from both sides of his brain. Soon after the surgery, Molaison’s doctors realized that the […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - June 6, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
A step closer to artificial livers
Prometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day. Modern scientists know there is a grain of truth to the tale, […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - June 6, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
Brain makes its own version of Valium
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that a naturally occurring protein secreted only in discrete areas of the mammalian brain may act as a Valium-like brake on certain types of epileptic seizures. The protein is known as diazepam binding inhibitor, or DBI. It calms the rhythms of a key brain circuit […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - June 6, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
Trouble With Math? Maybe You Should Get Your Brain Zapped
If you are one of the 20% of healthy adults who struggle with basic arithmetic, simple tasks like splitting the dinner bill can be excruciating. Now, a new study suggests that a gentle, painless electrical current applied to the brain can boost math performance for up to 6 months. Researchers dont fully understand how it […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - May 30, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
New Tools to Hunt New Viruses
A new flu, H7N9, has killed 36 people since it was first found in China two months ago. A new virus from the SARS family has killed 22 people since it was found on the Arabian Peninsula last summer. In past years, this might have been occasion for panic. Yet chicken and pork sales have […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - May 29, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
First drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade
CoQ10 is the first medication to improve survival in chronic heart failure since ACE inhibitors and beta blockers more than a decade ago and should be added to standard heart failure therapy. Lisbon, 25 May 2013: Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - May 27, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss
Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could one day guide researchers to discover drug alternatives that slow […] (Source: Biosingularity)
Source: Biosingularity - May 27, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Derya Tags: Biotechnology Source Type: blogs
