Neuron and Glia Remodeling Contribute to Male Behavior
Endogenous cannabinoid signaling controls sex-based differences in behavior
Neuroscience
Normal and pathophysiology of the brain, nervous system, neurons, and glia
The mTOR-Dependent Translatome in Growing Nerves and Injured Axons
Neurons have a distinct shape. The long processes for sending a signal (the axon) and for receiving signals (dendrites) are often far away from the cell body (soma) containing the nucleus. Thus, neurons have sophisticated systems for transporting messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and proteins involved in protein synthesis to these cellular processes for locally regulated protein … Read more
Discovering Fast-Acting Treatments for Depression
Depression is a complex and common disease. In the US, 1 in 6 people will experience clinical depression sometime in his or her life. There are likely multiple underlying cellular or molecular causes of clinical depression. This is why not all patients respond to any given therapy. Symptoms of clinical depression are diverse and sometimes contradictory. … Read more
Giving Mice Artificial Memories to Discover Clues to Depression
Changes in how the brain processes memories of pleasurable or rewarding experiences contribute to addiction and depression. A study in mice by LeGates and colleagues provides clues to how the brain processes and remembers rewards, which is key to understanding and treating these mental health disorders. They used light-activated proteins (optogenetics) to alter the strength … Read more
Zapping Chronic Pain with Red Light
Neuropathic pain can be caused by an excessive nerve response to non-harmful (innocuous) touch. Dhandapani and colleagues combined a molecule that binds to the neurons and a light-activated phototoxic chemical to create a treatment that uses light (specifically near infrared light) to alleviate neuropathic pain in a mouse model. To develop this treatment, the authors … Read more