Visual sensation begins at the retina, which is the neural tissue located at the back of eyeballs. It has been known that the retina detects light using photoreceptors which are light-sensitive nerve cells.In case of retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, those light sensing neurons are gradually damaged, leading to […]
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Spinal fluid of people with Alzheimer’s risk gene signals inflammation
People who have a gene variant associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease also tend to have changes in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord that are detectable years before symptoms arise, according to new research from Duke Health. The work found that in people who carry the APOE4 gene variant, […]
Bioelectric signals in breast cancer metastasis studied
Metastasis accounts for approximately 90 percent of mortality in breast cancer patients. During the last few decades, there has been significant progress in understanding genetic, molecular and signaling mechanisms underpinning cancer cell migration. Biologists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) found another mechanism that affects the maintenance and expansion of malignant cells: electric signals in […]
Study signals new era of precision medicine for children with cancer
A new study has shown the power of genetic testing to pick out the best drugs for children with cancer to extend and improve their lives—signaling a new era of precision medicine for young patients. The pilot including more than 200 children found that half had gene mutations that are targetable by adult cancer drugs […]
People ‘hear’ flashes due to disinhibited flow of signals around the brain, suggests study
A synaesthesia-like effect in which people ‘hear’ silent flashes or movement, such as in popular ‘noisy GIFs’ and memes, could be due to a reduction of inhibition of signals that travel between visual and auditory areas of the brain, according to a new study led by researchers at City, University of London. The study is […]
Fluorescing urine signals organ transplant rejection, could replace needle biopsies
Too often, it’s only after a transplanted organ has sustained serious damage that a biopsy reveals the organ is in rejection. A new screening method using sensor particles and a urine test could catch rejection much earlier, more comprehensively, and without a biopsy needle. When the body’s immune system has just begun attacking cells of […]