News

A new paper reveals a possible early indicator of Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, or FXTAS. The disease afflicts some older people who carry a "premutation" of the gene known as FMR1, which can lead to impairments in movement and cognition -- while other people who carry the premutation are unaffected.

African-Americans have up to three times the risk of dying from strokes as people of European descent, yet there has been little investigation of if and how genetic variants contribute to their elevated stroke risk. Until now.

A new study has shown that humans, mice and flies share the same fundamental genetic mechanisms that regulate the formation and function of brain areas involved in attention and movement control.

New research into the origins of Parkinson’s disease has identified a critical signaling molecule that may be key to the domino effect kicked off by nasal inflammation.

New research suggests that children who suffer trauma from abuse or violence early in life show biological signs of aging faster than children who have never experienced adversity.

Our brains have an upper limit on how much they can process at once due to a constant but limited energy supply, according to a new study.

Sometimes referred to by its Latin translation as the '"little brain"', the cerebellum is located close to the brainstem and sits under the cortex in the hindbrain. New research at San Diego State University, however, calls the "little" terminology into question.

Structures called primary cilia – which act like TV antennas for cells to detect signals – are present in fewer numbers in mice born with Fragile X syndrome, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio). Study results were published July 30 in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time identified stem cells in the region of the optic nerve, which transmits signals from the eye to the brain. The finding presents a new theory on why the most common form of glaucoma may develop and provides potential new ways to treat a leading cause of blindness in American adults.

"Julich-Brain" is the name of the first 3D-atlas of the human brain that reflects the variability of the brain’s structure with microscopic resolution. The atlas features close to 250 structurally distinct areas, each one based on the analysis of 10 brains. German researchers led by Prof. Katrin Amunts have now presented the new brain atlas in the renowned journal Science.