Fear can make you run, it can make you fight, and it can glue you to the spot. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy and GlaxoSmithKline in Verona, Italy, have identified not only the part of the brain but the specific type of neurons that determine how mice react to a frightening stimulus…

Scientists have identified the specific type of neurons that determine how mice react to a frightening stimulus, showing that deciding whether or not to freeze in fear is a more complex task for our brains than we realized.

Researchers have successfully used human induced pluripotent stem cells to treat rodents afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. The research validates a scalable protocol that can be used to manufacture the type of neurons needed to treat the disease and paves the way for the use of iPSC’s in various biomedical applications.

Single neurons in the brain are surprisingly good at distinguishing different sequences of incoming information according to new research. The study shows that single neurons, and indeed even single dendrites, the tiny receiving elements of neurons, can very effectively distinguish between different temporal sequences of incoming information.

Activity of certain neurons in the brain can signal the initiation and termination of behavioral sequences we learn anew, scientists have discovered. Furthermore, they found that this brain activity is essential for learning and executing novel action sequences, many times compromised in patients suffering from disorders such as Parkinson’s or Huntington’s.

Astrocytes — brain cells named after their characteristic star-shape and previously thought to act only as the ‘glue’ between neurons — have a central role in the regulation of breathing, according to scientists. The finding provides a new dimension for research into fundamental principles of brain organization and function and may be relevant for understanding causes of devastating conditions associated with respiratory failure such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Scientists have discovered a compound that restores the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain’s memory hub. The research has turned up clues to a neuroprotective mechanism that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The neuroprotective compound, called P7C3, holds promise because of its medication-friendly properties. It can be taken orally, has long-lasting effects, and is safely tolerated by mice.

Astrocytes are the most common type of cell in the brain and play an important role in the function of neurons — nerve cells. New research from Sweden shows that they are also directly involved in the regulation of signaling between neurons.

Scientists in Switzerland have found that microRNAs, small RNA regulators of gene expression, are up- and down-regulated in the retina during light-dark adaptation and in response to synaptic stimulation in hippocampal and cortical neurons. This important discovery provides an unexpected function for microRNAs: it shows that they are able to regulate rapidly the expression of synaptic proteins, which are involved in synapse plasticity and memory formation.

Scientists in Germany have succeeded to genetically modify fruit fly larvae allowing them to smell blue light. The research team can activate single receptor neurons out of 28 olfactory neurons in the larvae for this sensory perception. Normally animals avoid light. However, blue light simulates in genetically modified larvae the smell of an odorant, e.g., banana, marzipan or glue — odors which are all present in rotting fruit and attractive to fruit fly larvae.