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An international team of researchers has linked a gene known as peptidase M20-domain-containing protein 1 (PM20D1) with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in humans. An analysis of genetic and epigenetic study data, combined with data from human tissue samples and subsequent experiments in mouse models, indicated that increased levels of PM20D1 in the brain have a protectiveRead more

Scientists from Harvard report the development of a new microscope that greatly improves researchers’ ability to study how neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease affect neuronal communication. The microscope is optimized to perform studies using optogenetic techniques that use light to control and image neurons genetically modified with light-sensitive proteins. “Our new microscopeRead more

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by motor neuron loss and that leads to paralysis and death 2–5 years after disease onset.  Nearly all patients with ALS have aggregates of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 in their brains and spinal cords, and rare mutations in the gene encoding TDP-43Read more

    Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and an international team of colleagues report that brain disorders that cause intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum behaviors may share common defects despite having different genetic causes. Two models of intellectual disability in mice were found to have demonstrated that they share similar disease mechanisms.     The scientists discovered thatRead more