Category: Neuroscience

Degenerative Disease, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

A Promising Therapeutic Compound for Huntington’s Disease

By Jalwa Alfroz There is currently no available treatment that can promisingly cure the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by an inherited defect in a single gene encoding the highly conserved protein, Huntington. It is also an autosomal dominant defect, which means that a person only needs one copy of the defective gene to develop the disorder. The … Continue reading A Promising Therapeutic Compound for Huntington’s Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Neuroscience

October Feature: Neuroscience Axis

This past week, one of our Cabinet Members, Benjamin Kerner, sat down with the President and Vice President of Neuroscience Axis, Joseph Arena and Katherine Maiorisi, in order to shine light on their endeavors and mission at Stony Brook. Neuroscience Axis works to facilitate the interactions between undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in the field of Neuroscience. B: What is your role in the … Continue reading October Feature: Neuroscience Axis

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators Review1 Comment
2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

Antibody-Based Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

by Jalwa Afroz The antibody aducanumab reduces amyloid-β plaques, helping to prevent the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic type of dementia that affects a person’s memory and behavior. Ultimately, cognitive decline and behavioral disturbances lead to a person’s inability to perform daily activity. Through pathophysiological evidence, researchers have shown that amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque buildup in the brain causes neurotoxicity. … Continue reading Antibody-Based Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

A New Method For Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

by Sahil Rawal (’19) Parkinson’s disease is a condition that causes lower levels of dopamine in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration. Parkinson’s is commonly seen in older patients, and causes a loss of muscle control. Till now, there was no test for Parkinson’s that would guarantee its diagnosis; rather, physicians analyzed medical histories and conducted neurological tests to look for signs of Parkinson’s. However, Dr. … Continue reading A New Method For Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators Review1 Comment
2016-17, Neuroscience

A Step Forward in Parkinson’s Disease

by Sahil Rawal (’19) Parkinson’s Disease is a very deadly condition with unknown origins, as scientists have been unable to pinpoint an exact explanation for its occurrence. Previous studies have shown that patients with Parkinson’s lack dopamine-producing cells, which causes attenuation of motor skills. Furthermore, it has been shown that mitochondrial toxicity causes mutations in PINK1 and PARKIN genes in patients with Parkinson’s. However, these … Continue reading A Step Forward in Parkinson’s Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology

The Role of Social Stress in Cocaine Addiction

by Aaron Gochman (’18) This week, scientists from the University of Texas at Austin contributed a novel idea to addiction research. Focusing on glutamatergic synaptic transmission, the primary mode of excitatory signaling in the central nervous system, the group hypothesized that social stress would lead to increased vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Specifically, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, a prime location for dopamine … Continue reading The Role of Social Stress in Cocaine Addiction

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Health, Neuroscience

Restoring Function after Traumatic Brain Injuries

by Julia Newman (’19) Although there is currently no successful treatment for traumatic brain injuries, researchers at the University of California recently tested a new and promising method using human neural stem cells (hNSC), which have been found to be multipotent. Experiments in the past were performed solely on rats using immunosuppressant drugs in order to prevent transplant rejection, but this study found it more … Continue reading Restoring Function after Traumatic Brain Injuries

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Neuroscience

Complexin induces a conformational change of the SNARE complex

by Aaron Gochman (’18) Intercellular communication in the central nervous system occurs at a synapse, the gap between two neurons. The presynaptic neuron releases a chemical messenger known as a neurotransmitter, which diffuses across the synapse and relays the signal to the postsynaptic cell. The process of releasing the neurotransmitter from the presynaptic cell is quite complicated. The mechanism includes packing the neurotransmitter inside a … Continue reading Complexin induces a conformational change of the SNARE complex

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Neuroscience

Dual Threat: DLK as a Novel Role Player in Axonal Regeneration

by Aaron Gochman (’18) Axonal regeneration is a branch of neuroscience on the cutting edge; re-growing injured neurons is a technique that, once refined, will fundamentally change the landscape of nervous system therapies. A team of researchers from University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of Pennsylvania have discovered a key intracellular pathway in axonal regeneration that is conserved in both Drosophila, … Continue reading Dual Threat: DLK as a Novel Role Player in Axonal Regeneration

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Interview, Neuroscience

Mind Power: A Potent Medicine

By Raazia Syedda “The more you explore an area, the more questions you can see,” says Dr. Anne Moyer of Stony Brook’s Department of Psychology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Science and Society [1]. Dr. Moyer has had a long-held interest in cancer and studies the psychosocial issues that surround cancer and cancer risk, medical decision-making, gender and health, research methodology and … Continue reading Mind Power: A Potent Medicine

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators Review1 Comment
Brain, Degenerative Disease, Neuroscience

Brain-wide pathway for waste clearance captured by contrast-enhanced MRI

By Nujbat Meraji In the past year, it was estimated that 5.2 million Americans were suffering from the Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that causes memory, thinking and behavioral issues and currently has no cure. A research team at Stony Brook University, led by Helene Benveniste, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Radiology, are using imaging technique to study how brain waste can … Continue reading Brain-wide pathway for waste clearance captured by contrast-enhanced MRI

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Neuroscience, Psychiatry

Scientists Pinpointed the Part of the Brain that Generates the “Ghostly Presence”

By Marianna Catege Even as the world becomes more and more science-based, ghost stories are still told and believed by some. Today, researchers are finally using science to tackle the unexplained phenomenon of the feeling of a ghostly presence. Dr. Giulio Rognini, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), explains that this vivid sensation is common in people who experience extreme weather conditions, such … Continue reading Scientists Pinpointed the Part of the Brain that Generates the “Ghostly Presence”

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators Review