Scientists have uncovered how a newly discovered gene, NEK1, in which mutations have been linked to ALS cases, disrupts the function of the motor neuron and causes it to degenerate and die. The viral ...

Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have identified a molecular process that allows motor neurons to maintain protein production, a process that fails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

VIB and KU Leuven researchers used spatial transcriptomics to map gene activity in motor neuron cell bodies and axons. In ALS ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A cubic millimeter is, by all accounts, tiny. It’s barely ...

Biology textbooks may need a revision, say Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists, who present new evidence that an armlike structure of mammalian brain cells may be a different shape than scientists have ...

In the late 1800s, Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal drew hundreds of images of neurons. His exquisite work influenced our understanding of what they look like: Cells with a bulbous center ...

Axons are the brain’s information highways, transporting cellular cargo, chemical signals, and electrical impulses to other cells. These “roads” are typically depicted as smooth and cylindrical, with ...

Brains run on constant streams of chatter. The roughly 85 billion nerve cells in the human brain converse by sending messages via molecules called neurotransmitters. These chemical conversations allow ...

Researchers have identified a new mechanism that underlies dopamine release in the brain. The research, conducted in mice, shows that another chemical messenger called acetylcholine can trigger the ...