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反义寡核苷酸药物可抑制有毒蛋白在大脑中的积聚
TAR DNA结合蛋白43（TDP-43）是肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）和额颞叶痴呆症（FTD）等神经性病变的病理学标记蛋白。这种蛋白负责mRNA前体的剪接，能帮助维持mRNA的稳定性，对细胞内RNA的转录尤为重要。而在ALS和FTD患者的大脑中，该蛋白会在细胞质中出现病理性的聚集，从而导致神经元出现功能性异常，甚至是死亡。这种聚集现象被发现是源自于C9orf72基因的突变。C9orf72基因的重复扩增会制造出一种简称为poly(GR)的有毒蛋白，而正是这种蛋白引发了一系列转运因子和核孔复合体的错位，并最终致使TDP-43蛋白在细胞内聚集成团。使用反义寡核苷酸药物抑制C9orf72基因的重复扩增就能减少poly(GR)的生成，并有效阻止TDP-43在细胞质中的积聚。研究人员称，他们将继续深入研究C9orf72基因和poly(GR)等有毒蛋白的关联性，这些机制的发现将为ALS和FTD等相关药物的开发带来莫大的帮助。
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Researchers pinpoint brain circuitry underlying dissociative experiences
Stanford scientists identified brain circuitry that plays a role in the mysterious experience called dissociation, in which people can feel disconnected from their bodies and reality.
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Reprogramming Brain Cells Enables Flexible Decision-Making
Humans, like other animals, have the ability to constantly adapt to new situations. Researchers at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich have utilized a mouse model to reveal which neurons in the brain are in command in guiding adaptive behavior. Their new study contributes to our understanding of decision-making processes in healthy […]
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New Path to Neuron Regeneration After Spinal Cord Injury
Dynamic networks that specialize in the transmission of information generally consist of multiple components, including not only primary processors, like computers, for example, but also numerous support applications and services. The human nervous system is fundamentally very similar—neurons, like computers, process and transmit information, sending molecular signals through axons to other neurons, all of which […]
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Beyond Plaques and Tangles: Genetic Variation May Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline
A genetic variation in some people may be associated with cognitive decline that can’t be explained by deposits of two key proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid ß and tau, according to a study published in the September 16, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The genetic […]
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New gene implicated in neuron diseases
Motor neurons control movement, breathing, swallowing and speaking. Their death is a hallmark of progressive diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Understanding what can cause motor neurons to die is a key to developing precision treatments. Scientists are finding that the causes of motor neuron diseases are […]
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How Psychedelics Bind to Key Brain Cell Receptor
Psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline cause severe and often long-lasting hallucinations, but they show great potential in treating serious psychiatric conditions, such as major depressive disorder. To fully investigate this potential, scientists need to know how these drugs interact with brain cells at the molecular level to cause their dramatic biological effects. […]
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Scientists discover what happens in our brains when guessing
Researchers have identified how cells in our brains work together to join up memories of separate experiences, allowing us to make educated guesses in everyday life. By studying both human and mouse brain activity, they report that this process happens in a region of the brain called the hippocampus.
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How Fear Persists in the Mouse Brain
After a sudden fright, it’s common for your heart rate to stay elevated, your palms to stay sweaty and senses to remain alert for another threat. Mice also exhibit this response and a team of Caltech researchers wanted to learn what’s happening at a cellular level in the mouse’s brain during these persistent displays of […]
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As Pandemic Progressed, People’s Perceived Risks Went Up
In the first week of the coronavirus pandemic, people living in the United States underestimated their chances of catching the virus, or of getting seriously ill from the virus, according to a recently published Caltech-led study. But as the days progressed, those same people became more worried about their personal risk, and, as a result, […]