Archive for neuroscience
Tuber locations associated with infantile spasms map to a common brain network
About half of all babies with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop infantile spasms, a type of epilepsy that can have serious long-term neurologic consequences. Infantile spasms occur more often in children who have more brain tubers — groups of cells that do not divide into normal neurons and brain cells — but we haven’t known ... Read More
‘Mosaic’ gene mutations could explain some cases of autism
The causes of autism remain mysterious. Scientists have linked autism spectrum disorder to a long list of genes, but most children with autism have no known explanation. Two new studies add to the picture, implicating mutations that affect only a fraction of a child’s cells. Called mosaic mutations, they open a new avenue for research ... Read More
Tau protein changes correlate with Alzheimer’s disease dementia stage
Research into Alzheimer’s disease has long focused on understanding the role of two key proteins, beta amyloid and the tau protein. Found in tangles in patients’ brain tissue, a pathological form of the tau protein contributes to propagating the disease in the brain. Key takeaways A pathological form of the tau protein contributes to the ... Read More
New strategies for restoring myelin on damaged nerve cells
Key takeaways Myelin is an essential fatty substance coating surrounding nerve axons. After injury, regenerated nerve axons usually fail to remyelinate, inhibiting nerve cell communication. A combination treatment led to remyelination in about 60 percent of regenerated axons. This research may have implications in other diseases associated with myelin loss, like multiple sclerosis. Loss of ... Read More
The tiny choroid plexus protects the prenatal brain — but may also pass on inflammation from the mother
Floating in fluid deep in the brain are small, little-understood fronds of tissue. Two new studies reveal that these miniature organs are a hotbed of immune system activity. This activity may protect the developing brain from infections and other insults — but may also contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. Key takeaway This pioneering work ... Read More
Scar-free healing after spinal cord injury relies on specialized cells
Key takeaways Scar tissue prevents nerves from communicating with each other. Microglia cells in the central nervous system help prevent scar tissue formation after spinal cord injuries in newborn mice. Transplanted newborn microglia cells drastically reduced scar formation in adult mice with spinal cord injury, opening the door to new treatment possibilities. One of the ... Read More
Going into science: Women scientists at Boston Children’s offer advice to girls
In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we invited women scientists at all stages of their careers at Boston Children’s Hospital to share their scientific agendas. Here is some of what they had to say. The scientists also offered their advice for girls interested in entering the field. ... Read More
The Beauty of the Brain
Every year, the Harvard Brain Science Initiative sponsors its Beauty of the Brain contest. This year, two Boston Children’s Hospital images are among the six winners drawn from a pool of forty submissions. Above, Mary Whitman, MD, PhD, and Jess Bell, from the laboratory of Elizabeth Engle, MD, developed this image of a developing mouse ... Read More
Internal brain timers linked with motivation and behavior
Time can be measured in many ways: a watch, a sundial, or the body’s natural circadian rhythms. But what about the sexual behavior of a fruit fly? “If you ask a bunch of scientists whether animals can keep time, many would say they cannot, that things happen over time—but time itself is not measured,” says ... Read More
Staff Spotlight: Meet Andrea Lerude
Andrea Lerude is a certified child life specialist on the inpatient neuroscience floor at Boston Children’s Hospital. She’s worked at Boston Children’s for more than five years. What does your job involve? As a child life specialist, I provide developmentally appropriate coping support to children in the hospital, in the form of play. Basically, I ... Read More