From The Labs Archives - Page 78 of 103 - Baylor College of Medicine Blog Network

Breakdown of neuron-glia partnership can pave the way to neurodegeneration

November 30, 2017 Alzheimer's Disease, APOE4, free radicals, glia cells, lipid accumulation, Neurodegeneration, neuron

In 2015, Dr. Lucy Liu, now a Ph.D. graduate in neuroscience from the Bellen lab, discovered that a number of genes involved in neurodegeneration promote

From The Labs

How having too much or too little of CHRNA7 can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders

November 28, 2017 Autism, calcium channel, cellular stress, CHRNA7, cognitive impairment, genetic condition, Genetics, Human genetics, neuron, Neuropsychiatric disorders, neuropsychiatric disordrs

Studying the genetic code allows researchers to know whether some patients with neuropsychiatric disorders either have extra copies of the CHRNA7 gene or are missing

From The Labs

Analyzing cryo-electron tomography images just got faster

November 22, 2017 annotated 3D structures, Cryo-electron tomography, microscopy methods, neuronal networks

Researchers use cryo-electron tomography to visualize macromolecules frozen in action and details of structures inside of cells. This method provides 100 times better resolution than

From The Labs

How estrogen regulates gene expression

November 20, 2017 CARM1, coactivators, endocrinology, ER-alpha, estrogen, hormone action, p300, SRC-3B

Estrogens are a group of hormones that are essential for normal female sexual development and for the healthy functioning of the reproductive system. They also

From The Labs

This two-step approach can expedite finding answers to complex genetic conditions

November 16, 2017 animal model, Autism, cell line, HIPK2, MeCP2 duplication syndrome, neurodevelopmental disorders, Neurological disorders, PP2A

To function normally, the human brain requires the right amount of a number of proteins, including MeCP2. Having twice the normal amount of MeCP2, the

From The Labs

Muscle’s path to maturity follows the alternative splicing way

November 14, 2017 alternative splicing, calcineurin A, calcium-handling proteins, muscle development, muscular disorders, muscular dystrophy

Compare the skeletal muscles of a newborn with those of an adult. While the former can barely move the body, adult muscles can perform record

From The Labs

More than an anticoagulant; heparin also promotes appetite in mice

November 9, 2017 AgRP neurons, anticoagulant, appetite control, heparin, hypothalamus, weight control, weight gain

Naturally-produced heparin is well-known for its role as an anticoagulant. Heparin is also widely used as a medication to prevent blood clotting. “In addition to

From The Labs

Image of the Month: The underappreciated astrocyte

November 8, 2017 astrocyte, brain cancer, glial cells, Neurological disorders

The brain has billions of cells of which only 30 percent are neurons. Astrocytes are the predominant cell type of the remaining 70 percent. Surprisingly,

From The Labs

Device that induces a mild localized ‘fever’ could treat vascular involvement in cancer

November 2, 2017 CorleyWare device, hyperthermia, Innovation in cancer treatment, innovative technology, Metastasis, pancreatic cancer, positive margin

The prognosis of a cancer patient relies significantly on the ability of the surgeon to remove all the tumor, including a cancer-free boundary, leaving what

From The Labs

Next-generation probiotics might join the fight against gut bacterial infections

October 31, 2017 C. difficile, fecal transplant, Gastrointestinal diseases, good bacteria, L. reuteri, probiotics

Clostridium difficile infections are the most common cause of diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics. If these bacteria attempt to invade the human gut,