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一种可抗神经变性的新型抑制剂
N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体（NMDAR）是一种离子通道蛋白，可被神经递质谷氨酸所激活，与突触可塑性的形成息息相关，对维持大脑的记忆和学习功能至关重要。但这一受体在某些情况下亦具有一定的损害作用，会通过关闭一些转录通路造成神经细胞的死亡。这些有害的NMDAR蛋白大多存在于突触结构外围，而通过小鼠研究，实验人员发现，这些突触结构外的NMDAR蛋白会导致神经元死亡的原因在于其与另一离子通道蛋白TRPM4进行了结合，从而构成了一种可传递毁灭信号的“致死复合物”。在对这两种蛋白的接触面进行仔细研究后，该团队成功研发出了能将两者进行分离的抑制剂，并证实了其对神经细胞具有较强的保护作用，可用于治疗各种类型的神经退行性疾病。不同于那些直接阻断NMDAR蛋白功能的药物，这一新型抑制剂可在保有有益NMDAR蛋白的前提下，针对性的对可传递细胞毒性的有害NMDAR蛋白进行干预。
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New Class of Highly Effective Inhibitors Protects Against Neurodegeneration
Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses. Their fundamental findings on neurodegenerative processes simultaneously led the researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) to a completely new principle for therapeutic agents. […]
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Could Loss of Interest be Sign of Dementia Risk?
Older adults with severe apathy, or lack of interest in usual activities, may have a greater chance of developing dementia than people with few symptoms of apathy, according to a study published in the October 14, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Apathy can be very distressing […]
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Nerves that Sense Touch May Play Role in Autism
Autism is considered a disorder of the brain. But a new study suggests that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that control our sense of touch, pain and other sensations, may play a role as well. “More than 70% of people with autism have differences in their sensory perception,” said study author Sung-Tsang Hsieh, M.D., […]
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STAT3 identified as important factor in emotional reactivity
Numerous scientific studies indicate that inflammatory processes play a key role in the development of psychiatric disorders. One of the areas of particular interest is the interleukin 6/STAT3 signal transduction pathway, which is associated with depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In a study published in leading journal Molecular Psychiatry, MedUni Vienna researchers led by Daniela […]
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The Effect of Ventral Globus Pallidus on Arousal and Motivational Behavior
TCCI® researcher and President of the Chinese Sleep Research Society, Professor Huang Zhili’s research group at Huashan Hospital recently published research focused on the effect of ventral globus pallidus on wakefulness and motivational behaviors in the journal “Molecular Psychiatry.” The paper, entitled “Ventral pallidal GABAergic neurons control wakefulness associated with motivation through the ventral tegmental […]
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The Brain Quenches Thirst in Different Ways
After eating a bag of salty potato chips, you probably feel thirsty. And after a long period of exercise, you also probably feel thirsty. However, these two types of thirst are not the same. In the first example, you would likely reach for water. This is because after eating chips, the concentration of salts and […]
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毫米级脑内给药技术
在服用药物的时候，药剂中的成分会随着血液流到我们身体的各个部位，这便会造成许多副作用的产生。而由苏黎世联邦理工学院所研发的新型给药技术却能以极高的精确度完成脑内定点给药，大大降低了副作用产生的概率。这一给药方法共由两步骤组成，首先，包裹有药物的微型小泡会被注射进生物体的血管内，当其到达大脑后便可使用低强度的超声将药物聚集在给药部位，接着，使用更高强度的超声波将药物周围的脂质包膜粉碎掉就可实现药物的定点释放。小鼠实验证明，利用这一技术进行神经抑制剂类药物的给药能成功阻断连接两个脑区的神经网络，且不会对其他周边神经系统造成影响。虽然先前已有团队尝试使用超声聚焦的方法来实现类似的药物传输，但这些方法无一例外都会对给药位置的血管细胞造成损伤，而这一新型的给药技术却能确保血管和神经组织当中的生理屏障在给药后完好如初。
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NIH科学家揭露神经元交流中的能量供给机制
我们所有的思维和感受都是依靠神经元与神经元之间的交流来实现的，而在学习和记忆的过程中，有一部分的神经元会进行极其频繁的交流，为了维持这一高强度的信号传输过程神经元必须向突触结构提供足够多的能量。在对培养皿中的谷氨酸性突触进行深入研究后美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）的实验人员发现，当神经元间的信号传输频率变高时，神经元轴突中作为动力系统的线粒体会向突触前膜进行移动，并为突触结构提供信号传递所需的大量能量。而神经元中腺嘌呤核糖核苷酸依赖的蛋白激酶（AMPK）则会起到能量传感器的作用，不断对线粒体的能量供给水平进行监管，以维持神经元内的能量平衡。使用基因阻断或化学干预的方法破坏该反馈环路会导致线粒体不再向突触前膜移动并降低突触结构的能量供给水平。由此可见，该反馈环路对神经元间的高强度交流来说是必不可少的。
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Study underscores the gut-brain connection and shows hunger hormone impacts memory
Animals and humans have the hormone ghrelin in their stomachs. Ghrelin tells animals as well as humans when they are hungry and helps regulate their metabolism, but scientists have never been certain how exactly it works. To learn more about how ghrelin influences hunger, metabolism and memory, researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, […]