http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- A chemical produced by common soil bacteria may kill neurons that produce dopamine, according to an article authored by University of Alabama researchers publishing Oct. 6. Dopamine neuron demise leads to the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson`s disease, a movement disorder affecting some 1 million Americans. http://www.physorg.com/news174036947.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:44:46 EST news174036947 New research demonstrates that single neurons in the reward center of the brain process not only primitive rewards but also more abstract, cognitive rewards related to the quest for information about the future. The study, published by Cell Press in the July 16 issue of the journal Neuron, enhances our understanding of learning and suggests that current theories of reward should be revised to include the effect of information seeking. http://www.physorg.com/news166882349.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:50:12 EST news166882349 Scientists have identified a protein that appears not only to be central to the process that causes Parkinson's disease but could also play a role in muting the high from methamphetamine and other addictive drugs. http://www.physorg.com/news160673230.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 May 2009 16:27:43 EST news160673230 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have identified a protein that appears not only to be central to the process that causes Parkinson's disease but could also play a role in muting the high from methamphetamine and other addictive drugs. http://www.physorg.com/news160305210.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:13:55 EST news160305210 In a study that reveals the clearest picture to date of neuron death in Parkinson's disease, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found that a trio of culprits acting in concert is responsible for killing the brain cells. http://www.physorg.com/news160228509.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:55:30 EST news160228509 It is said that each of us marches to the beat of a different drum, but new Stanford University research suggests that brain cells need to follow specific rhythms that must be kept for proper brain functioning. These rhythms don't appear to be working correctly in such diseases as schizophrenia and autism, and now two papers due to be published online this week by the journals Nature and Science demonstrate that precisely tuning the oscillation frequencies of certain neurons can affect how the brain processes information and implements feelings of reward. http://www.physorg.com/news159973996.html Medicine & Health Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:13:41 EST news159973996 Researchers are one step closer to understanding the neurobiology that allows people to successfully learn motivated behaviors by associating environmental cues with rewarding outcomes, according to a study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' online Early Edition. Carlos Paladini, assistant professor of neuroscience at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and UTSA graduate student Collin Lobb collaborated with researchers at The University of Washington at Seattle to study the firing patterns of midbrain dopamine neurons in mice during reward-based learning. http://www.physorg.com/news157985395.html Medicine & Health Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:50:19 EST news157985395 A new study reveals the mechanism by which a genetic mutation linked with Parkinson's disease (PD) renders dopamine neurons particularly vulnerable to cell injury and death. The research is published by Cell Press in the March 13th issue of the journal Molecular Cell. http://www.physorg.com/news156085299.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:02:12 EST news156085299 Genetically modifying a receptor found on the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine has given California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers a unique glimpse into the workings of the brain's dopamine system--as well as a new target for treating diseases that result from either too much or too little of this critical neurotransmitter. http://www.physorg.com/news143210631.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:43:51 EST news143210631 Deep brain stimulation, a surgical technique often viewed as a last resort for people with Parkinson's disease, halts the progression of dopamine-cell loss in animal models, according to preliminary research by scientists at the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and University Hospital. http://www.physorg.com/news139590667.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:11:07 EST news139590667