Scientists Identify Neurons Needed to Walk After Paralysis
Nine people with spinal injuries walked again after electrical stimulation, allowing researchers to pinpoint neurons likely underlying their recovery. Amanda Heidt Nov 10, 2022 | 3 min readPDF VERSION ABOVE:Visualization of the neurons involved in regaining the ability to walk after paralysisNEURORESTORE/JIMMY RAVIER Scientists now have a better understanding of how our bodies respond to spinal […]
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Monogamous Rodents Don’t Need “Love Molecule” To Pair Up
Prairie voles lacking functional receptors for oxytocin form normal social bonds, a finding that could explain the hormone’s clinical failures. Natalia Mesa, PhD Jan 27, 2023 | 4 min readPDF VERSION ABOVE:A pair of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)NASTACIA GOODWIN Prairie voles mate for life. Much like humans, once voles form a pair bond—typically with a member of […]
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Mutations in Autism-Linked Gene Cause Membrane Mischief
Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane. ABOVE:Spiky surface: Cultured kidney cells expressing mutated TAOK1 develop a plethora of abnormal extensions of the cell-surface membrane.IMAGE COURTESY OF SMITA YADAV The neuronal membrane is a dynamic place. It continually shifts its shape, bulging outward […]
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New Gene Mutants Identified in Rare Motor Neuron Diseases
The discovery of gene variants in cases of hereditary spastic dysplasia could provide a diagnosis to affected families where no genetic cause could be found before. EDITOR’S CHOICE IN CELL BIOLOGY Geneticists Emma Baple and Andrew Crosby previously discovered mutations in more than 15 genes that cause hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP)—a group of rare inherited disorders characterized by leg […]
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“Gut Feeling” Takes on New Meaning
Mechanically sensitive gut cells similar to touch sensors in the skin allow the intestine to feel and assess the physical properties of its contents. The mammalian gut is self-sufficient. Its contents are physically isolated from the rest of the body by the intestinal lining, which forms a semipermeable barrier that allows the gut to digest […]
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Retching Mice Reveal the Brain Circuit Behind Vomiting
The discovery could one day lead to the development of better antinausea medications. ABOVE:Staphylococcus aureus© ISTOCK.COM, ARTUR PLAWGO Nausea is a universally unwelcome feeling, but despite such widespread aversion, very little has been learned about the mechanism that causes an organism to vomit. That’s now changed with a report published yesterday in Cell that describes a neural pathway […]
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Ketamine Flips a “Switch” in Mice’s Brain Circuitry: Study
After injecting moderate doses of the dissociative anesthetic into the animals, previously “awake” brain cells go dark, and those that had been dormant suddenly light up. ABOVE:© ISTOCK.COM, ANDREUS In the 1950s, scientists on a mission to create better anesthesia drugs synthesized phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP. Though PCP worked well to keep most people unconscious during […]
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Ketamine Flips a “Switch” in Mice’s Brain Circuitry: Study
After injecting moderate doses of the dissociative anesthetic into the animals, previously “awake” brain cells go dark, and those that had been dormant suddenly light up. In the 1950s, scientists on a mission to create better anesthesia drugs synthesized phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP. Though PCP worked well to keep most people unconscious during surgical procedures, […]
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Some Honey Bee Swarms Generate Electrical Charges Stronger Than Storms
Small charges carried by individual insects can add up, a study finds, with larger swarms generating substantial electrical fields. Jef Akst At a field station near the University of Bristol in the UK, experimental ecologist Ellard Hunting and his colleagues noticed an unexpected jump in the atmospheric electrical charge on a clear day, New Scientist reports. As it turns […]
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Smelly Skin Compounds Draw Mosquitoes to Some People More than Others
People with more carboxylic acids in their body odor are more attractive to mosquitoes, a study finds. Scientists and laypeople alike have long wondered why mosquitoes are more attracted to some people than others. Growing evidence suggests that a person’s unique odor plays a large role in determining how alluring they are to the insects, with several odorants identified that act […]
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