Related topics: brain
Neuron
hideA neuron (pronounced /ˈnjʊərɒn/ N(Y)OOR-on, also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signalling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves. A number of specialized types of neurons exist: sensory neurons respond to touch, sound, light and numerous other stimuli affecting cells of the sensory organs that then send signals to the spinal cord and brain. Motor neurons receive signals from the brain and spinal cord and cause muscle contractions and affect glands. Interneurons connect neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or spinal cord. Neurons respond to stimuli, and communicate the presence of stimuli to the central nervous system, which processes that information and sends responses to other parts of the body for action. Neurons do not go through mitosis, and usually cannot be replaced after being destroyed, although astrocytes have been observed to turn into neurons as they are sometimes pluripotent.
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News tagged with nerve cells
Two molecules affecting brain plasticity
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 25, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- You wouldn't want a car with no brakes. It turns out that the developing brain needs them, too.
New discovery about the formation of new brain cells
Nov 23, 2009 |
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The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through ...
Study uses brain scans to discover how children 'read' faces
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 20, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxford University scientists are using brain-scanning technology to understand how we learn to recognise and 'read' faces as children.
Schizophrenia gene's role may be broader, more potent, than thought
Nov 19, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- UCSF scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia.
New Down syndrome treatment suggested by study in mice
Nov 18, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences ...
Findings could speed the development of drugs for Parkinson's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 18, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Australian scientists have significantly advanced our understanding of dopamine release from nerve cells, findings that should speed the development of more effective drugs for treating Parkinson's Disease.
Researchers find explanation for rapid maturation of neurons at birth
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 17, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
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At the moment a newborn switches from amniotic fluid to breathing air, another profound shift occurs: nerve cells in the brain convert from hyperexcitability to a calm frame against which outside signals can be detected.
Bigger not necessarily better, when it comes to brains
Nov 17, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (19) |
12
(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London.
Researchers to test first gene therapy For Alzheimer's patients
Nov 17, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of 12 sites nationwide participating in the first Phase 2 clinical trial to test gene therapy treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The study is the first multicenter neurosurgical intervention ...
On your last nerve: Researchers advance understanding of stem cells
Nov 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance ...
Researchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease (w/ Video)
Nov 15, 2009 |
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Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research, the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity ...
Fatty acids clue for Alzheimer's
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 13, 2009 |
2.6 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The amount of fatty acids in the brain varies between healthy people and those with Alzheimer's according to new research from the University of Bristol, UK, supported by the Alzheimer's Research ...
Engineers Will Create Planetary Rover From Retinal Implant Test Robot
Nov 11, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The research, led by Wolfgang Fink, will aid both people with visual impairments and scientists involved in planetary exploration.
Researchers to develop probes to study cellular GPS
Nov 10, 2009 |
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An international group of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Goettingen Medical School in Germany and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have received a Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) grant ...
Study shows neural stem cells in mice affected by gene associated with longevity
Nov 05, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University ...
