Brain Neuron Spine

Spinal cord injury can have devastating, and often irreversibly debilitating effects. Conventional treatment relies on steroid drugs and surgery with lackluster results. What if an extract of turmeric works better and is safer?

A protein complex that helps direct the growth of axons -- the parts of neurons that make up our nerves, connecting our senses and muscles to the brain and spinal cord -- has been discovered by a team of researchers. The study shows how the protein myosin-Va acts as a calcium sensor that tells new pieces of axon where they should go.

You’ve heard it all your life: “Eat your greens.” But did you know that eating just one cup of leafy greens each day makes your brain an average of 11 years younger than someone who skips them?

Researchers have developed a system that allows real-time optical and electrical observations of the gut's nervous system in a live animal. The system will allow researchers to study how this 'second brain' reacts to different drugs, neurotransmitters or diseases.