Neuroscience

How synaptic vesicles accumulate glutamate

In the brain, neurons communicate via neurotransmitters, which trigger electrical signals in downstream neurons by binding and activating specific receptors. Neurotransmitters are released through the fusion of synaptic vesicles, ...

Medical research

Protein linked to intellectual disability has complex role

Fragile X syndrome, the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability, is due to a genetic mutation that largely eliminates the fragile X protein, a critical element of normal brain development and function.

Genetics

The surprising twist behind a rare neurological disorder

A fruit fly study, by an international group of researchers, has pinpointed how a genetic mutation causes one of the important molecular machines in our cells to malfunction. The findings provide a biological mechanism behind ...

Medical research

Transporter imbalance implicated in schizophrenia

Alterations in the balance of two chloride ion transporters may be responsible for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Science Advances.

Immunology

Transporter's role in gut barrier linked to intestinal dysfunction

The cotransporter NKCC1 moves sodium, potassium and chloride ions across the cell membrane of many cell types, including intestinal epithelial cells. Two patients with mutations in NKCC1 suffered from severe intestinal dysfunction ...

Neuroscience

New drug could help treat neonatal seizures

A new drug that inhibits neonatal seizures in rodent models could open up new avenues for the treatment of epilepsy in human newborns. Researchers have identified that gluconate—a small organic compound found in fruit and ...

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