A simple dietary supplement reduces behavioral symptoms in mice with a genetic mutation that causes schizophrenia. After additional experiments, including visualizing the fluorescently stained dancing edge of immature brain cells, researchers concluded that the supplement likely protects proteins that build neurons’ cellular skeletons. The supplement betaine was first isolated from sugar beets and is often […]
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Structure and Function of the Cell Nucleus
Skip to Nuclear Membrane (nuclear envelope) Nucleoskeleton Nuclear Pore (Nuclear Pore Complex) Nucleolus Chromosomes The cell nucleus is the site of many important biological functions of the eukaryotic cell. These processes include transcription, replication, splicing and ribosome biogenesis. The effect of these processes extends to affecting cellular metabolism and growth. The nucleus contains approximately 2m […]
Impacts of family structure on puberty onset in girls
Girls who do not live with both parents from birth to age two may be at higher risk of starting puberty at a younger age than girls living with both parents, research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics suggests. The authors suggest that their findings support the hypothesis that stress in early life […]
Identifying the molecular structure of one of Alzheimer’s stickier culprits
In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Colorado Denver and Binghamton University are the first to map the molecular structure and dynamics of an aggressive protein modification that spurs on Alzheimer’s disease. “Roughly ten percent of Alzheimer’s disease cases are the result of identified […]
Childhood trauma may affect brain structure, predisposing adults to recurring major depressive disorder
Early life trauma may affect the structure of the brain in a way that makes clinical depression more likely to be severe and recurrent, according to a two-year observational study of 110 patients published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. Previous studies have suggested an association between maltreatment and altered brain structure, while others have identified […]
Children should spend more time barefoot to encourage a healthier foot structure
Humans have gone unshod for millions of years; it is only in the last few centuries that people have started wearing shoes. However, a recent survey shows that shoe wearing among young boys isn’t universal. German children and teenagers spend most of their day in shoes, while about 90% of their South African counterparts go […]
Artificial neural networks now able to help reveal a brain’s structure
The function of the brain is based on the connections between nerve cells. In order to map these connections and to create the connectome, the “wiring diagram” of a brain, neurobiologists capture images of the brain with the help of three-dimensional electron microscopy. Up until now, however, the mapping of larger areas has been hampered […]