brain

How the brain's 'internal compass' works

shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 18:29:12 +0000

Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with the latest advances in brain imaging techniques. The findings shed light on how the brain orients itself in changing environments – and even the processes that can go wrong with degenerative diseases like dementia, that leave people feeling lost and confused.

Mark Brandon

shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 20:53:16 +0000

Fighting brain cancer at its root

shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 18:25:55 +0000

�鶹��ý��վ researchers identify proteins that drive cancer stem cells. Targeting and supressing a particular protein called galectin1 could provide a more effective treatment for glioblastoma, in combination with radiation therapy.

Due to its resistance to therapy, glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive cancerous brain tumour in adults. It grows fast and spreads quickly. While treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can help ease symptoms for a few months, in most cases tumour cells regrow after treatment and the cancer recurs.

New use for an old drug: How does ketamine combat depression?

shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:38:03 +0000

A group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain, according to researchers from three Canadian universities. The discovery could lead to better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from major depression.

CTV NEWS | �鶹��ý��վ researchers discover way to fight brain tumours' resistance to therapy

amelia.souffrant@mail.mcgill.ca — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:41:20 +0000

New findings out of �鶹��ý��վ in Montreal have revealed a potential way to overcome aggressive brain tumours' resistance to therapy: by deleting a specific gene. Researchers have long been searching for ways to treat Glioblastomas – the most stubborn type of brain tumour – as they’re well known for their resistance to treatment. A few years back, they were able to confirm the key role a gene called the OSMR gene plays in the process of brain cancer growth.

Gene targeting helps overcome the resistance of brain cancer to therapy

shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 22:10:41 +0000

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma. A �鶹��ý��վ-led study published in Nature Communications reveals that suppressing the OSMR gene can improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

This approach, led by the laboratory of Arezu Jahani-Asl, Assistant Professor of Medicine at �鶹��ý��վ, was successful in preclinical mouse models where the deletion of the OSMR gene resulted in a significant improvement of tumour response to therapy and expanded lifespan.

TÉLÉ-QUÉBÉC | Brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst before sleep

nathan.menezes@mail.mcgill.ca — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 15:28:00 +0000

On sait que le sommeil et la température de notre corps sont régulés par l'horloge biologique. Charles Bourque, du Centre de recherche du CUSM à Montréal, a découvert une nouvelle fonction qui le serait aussi : la soif. Il en a fait la preuve de façon éclatante chez la souris.

Télé-Québéc (Electrons libres)

Brain genes related to innovation revealed in birds

christopher.chipello@mcgill.ca — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:21:10 +0000

Wild birds that are more clever than others at foraging for food have different levels of a neurotransmitter receptor that has been linked with intelligence in humans, according to a study led by �鶹��ý��վ researchers. The findings could provide insight into the evolutionary mechanisms affecting cognitive traits in a range of animals.

The study, published in Science Advances, was conducted by �鶹��ý��վ biologists Jean-Nicolas Audet and Louis Lefebvre, in collaboration with researchers from Duke and Harvard universities.

Barbados birds

A non-invasive method to detect Alzheimer’s disease

priya.pajel@mail.mcgill.ca — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:21:00 +0000

New research has drawn a link between changes in the brain’s anatomy and biomarkers that are known to appear at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), findings that could one day provide a sensitive but non-invasive test for AD before cognitive symptoms appear.

Scientists have known for some time that one of the first signs of AD is buildup of amyloid-Beta and tau proteins in the brain. They have also known that the hippocampus atrophies and loses volume in some AD patients years before cognitive decline.

Sex, drugs, and rock & roll chemistry in the brain

priya.pajel@mail.mcgill.ca — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 20:49:25 +0000

The same brain-chemical system that mediates feelings of pleasure from sex, recreational drugs, and food is also critical to experiencing musical pleasure, according to a study by �鶹��ý��վ researchers published today in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

Canada Foundation for Innovation provides $1.1M for CBRAIN computing platform at �鶹��ý��վ

laurie.devine@mcgill.ca — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 14:08:52 +0000

�鶹��ý��վ will receive more than $1.1 million for CBRAIN, one of the world’s most advanced computing platforms for brain research, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Cyberinfrastructure Initiative. Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie — Le Sud-ouest — Île-des-sœurs, made the announcement at �鶹��ý��վ on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, the Minister of Science.

�鶹��ý��վ wins $84 million grant for neuroscience

laurie.devine@mcgill.ca — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:59:44 +0000

�鶹��ý��վ will launch an ambitious effort to advance understanding of the human brain and ease the burden of neurological and mental-health disorders, thanks to an $84 million, seven-year grant announced today under the federal government's Canada First Excellence Research Fund (CFREF).

The program, Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives, will build on �鶹��ý��վ's leading position in neuroscience to make the university a global hub for brain research – one of the major frontiers for 21st century medicine.

“Big Data” study discovers earliest sign of Alzheimer’s

cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 15:12:54 +0000

�鶹��ý��վ Newsroom

Research underlines importance of computational power in future neurological breakthrough

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital have used a powerful tool to better understand the progression of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), identifying its first physiological signs.

Brain cells that aid appetite control identified

katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca — Wed, 11 May 2016 14:35:00 +0000

By Katherine Gombay, �鶹��ý��վ Newsroom

Discovery opens door to development of new drugs to control weight gain and obesity

It’s rare for scientists to get what they describe as “clean” results without spending a lot of time repeating the same experiment over and over again. But when researchers saw the mice they were working with doubling their weight within a month or two, they knew they were on to something.

Key mechanism identified in brain tumor growth

christopher.chipello@mcgill.ca — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 15:14:36 +0000

�鶹��ý��վ Newsroom

Discovery offers hope for more effective treatments of deadly glioblastomas

A gene known as OSMR plays a key role in driving the growth of glioblastoma tumors, according to a new study led by a �鶹��ý��վ researcher and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.