In a major brain science breakthrough, New Orleans-based researchers and collaborators have discovered a nerve signaling mechanism that takes place outside the cell, flipping on a 'pain switch.' This ...

The disruption of axons—the thread-like part of nerve cells that transmits electrical signals—is associated with Alzheimer's disease. One way axonal function may be hindered is through damage to the ...

Unlike the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerve cells, whose long extensions reach the skin and internal organs, are capable of regenerating after injury. This is why injuries to the central ...

Every cell depends on proteins to function and stay healthy. These proteins are made inside the cell from amino acids, but ...

A Cedars-Sinai study has identified a previously unknown role for astrocyte cells in how the brain responds to damage and ...

After meals, the intestines use peristalsis to move food through the gut using coordinated contractions and relaxations of smooth muscle. Results from a new study in mice done by scientists at Harvard ...

The average human cell contains roughly 10,000 different proteins. Existing as several to millions of copies in each cell, proteins mediate all manner of tasks, including chemical transformations, ...

No less than 16 different types of nerve cells have been identified by scientists in a new study on the human sense of touch. Comparisons between humans, mice and macaques show both similarities and ...

The researchers tested an experimental drug called NU-9, which is a small chemical compound taken by mouth. When given to ...