Tiny worm opens big discovery on nerve degeneration
A discovery in a transparent roundworm has brought scientists one step closer to understanding nerve degeneration.
Feb 11, 2016
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Revealing the inner workings of a molecular motor
In research published in the Journal of Cell Biology, scientists from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have made important steps toward understanding how dynein—a "molecular motor"—walks along tube-like structures ...
Brain-on-a-chip axonal strain injury model highlights mitochondrial membrane potential threshold
Researchers from the Biomedical Engineering Department of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey recently demonstrated the use of their "Brain-on-a-Chip" microsystem to assess specific effects of traumatic axonal injury. ...
Researchers model a key breaking point involved in traumatic brain injury
(Phys.org) —Even the mildest form of a traumatic brain injury, better known as a concussion, can deal permanent, irreparable damage. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania is using ...
Enzymes linked to cell death play key role in structural dynamics of neuronal axons
Strict regulation of axon branching and synapse formation is critical for the correct development of the embryonic nervous system, and dysfunction in these processes can lead to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. ...
Knowledge of stingrays' sparked-up sex may help deter sharks
Sexual attraction of the electric sort happens when stingrays meet, according to a researcher at The University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute - and the finding may help prevent shark attacks on humans.
Axons' unexpected cytoskeleton structure
(Phys.org)—The plasma membranes that give cells their shapes are typically upheld by linear meshworks of the protein actin. In contrast, Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have now discovered that periodic ring-shaped ...
A diffusion trap: Sticky spots on cell membranes hold onto the master regulator of cell polarity
Over the past several years, Rong Li, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research has been making crucial discoveries about the development of cell polarity—the process by which one side of a cell becomes different ...
A whole new meaning for thinking on your feet
Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of ongoing research to understand how miniaturization affects brain size ...
Researchers identify signals triggering dendrite growth
A study in worms that are less than a millimetre long has yielded clues that may be important for understanding how nerves grow.
