A neuron,neurone,or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via synapses - specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. Non-animals like plants and fungi do not have nerve cells.
In neuroscience,long-term potentiation (LTP) is a persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity. These are patterns of synaptic activity that produce a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons. The opposite of LTP is long-term depression,which produces a long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),or abrineurin,is a protein that,in humans,is encoded by the BDNF gene. BDNF is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors,which are related to the canonical nerve growth factor (NGF),a family which also includes NT-3 and NT-4/NT-5. Neurotrophic factors are found in the brain and the periphery. BDNF was first isolated from a pig brain in 1982 by Yves-Alain Barde and Hans Thoenen.
Schaffer collaterals are axon collaterals given off by CA3 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus. These collaterals project to area CA1 of the hippocampus and are an integral part of memory formation and the emotional network of the Papez circuit,and of the hippocampal trisynaptic loop. It is one of the most studied synapses in the world and named after the Hungarian anatomist-neurologist Károly Schaffer.
An apical dendrite is a dendrite that emerges from the apex of a pyramidal cell. Apical dendrites are one of two primary categories of dendrites,and they distinguish the pyramidal cells from spiny stellate cells in the cortices. Pyramidal cells are found in the prefrontal cortex,the hippocampus,the entorhinal cortex,the olfactory cortex,and other areas. Dendrite arbors formed by apical dendrites are the means by which synaptic inputs into a cell are integrated. The apical dendrites in these regions contribute significantly to memory,learning,and sensory associations by modulating the excitatory and inhibitory signals received by the pyramidal cells.
Kisspeptins are proteins encoded by the KISS1 gene in humans. Kisspeptins are ligands of the G-protein coupled receptor,GPR54. Kiss1 was originally identified as a human metastasis suppressor gene that has the ability to suppress melanoma and breast cancer metastasis. Kisspeptin-GPR54 signaling has an important role in initiating secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) at puberty,the extent of which is an area of ongoing research. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone is released from the hypothalamus to act on the anterior pituitary triggering the release of luteinizing hormone (LH),and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). These gonadotropic hormones lead to sexual maturation and gametogenesis. Disrupting GPR54 signaling can cause hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism in rodents and humans. The Kiss1 gene is located on chromosome 1. It is transcribed in the brain,adrenal gland,and pancreas.
Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein is a plasticity protein that in humans is encoded by the ARC gene. It was first characterized in 1995. ARC is a member of the immediate-early gene (IEG) family,a rapidly activated class of genes functionally defined by their ability to be transcribed in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors. ARC mRNA is localized to activated synaptic sites in an NMDA receptor-dependent manner,where the newly translated protein is believed to play a critical role in learning and memory-related molecular processes. Arc protein is widely considered to be important in neurobiology because of its activity regulation,localization,and utility as a marker for plastic changes in the brain. Dysfunction in the production of Arc protein has been implicated as an important factor in understanding various neurological conditions,including amnesia,Alzheimer's disease,Autism spectrum disorders,and Fragile X syndrome. Along with other IEGs such as ZNF268 and HOMER1,ARC is also a significant tool for systems neuroscience as illustrated by the development of the cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization,or catFISH technique.
Gladstone Institutes is an independent,non-profit biomedical research organization whose focus is to better understand,prevent,treat and cure cardiovascular,viral and neurological conditions such as heart failure,HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer's disease. Its researchers study these diseases using techniques of basic and translational science. Another focus at Gladstone is building on the development of induced pluripotent stem cell technology by one of its investigators,2012 Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka,to improve drug discovery,personalized medicine and tissue regeneration.
The name granule cell has been used for a number of different types of neurons whose only common feature is that they all have very small cell bodies. Granule cells are found within the granular layer of the cerebellum,the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus,the superficial layer of the dorsal cochlear nucleus,the olfactory bulb,and the cerebral cortex.
Junhyong Kim is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Endowed Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of over eighty published scientific papers.
Dendrin is a neural and renal protein whose exact function is still relatively unclear;however,its location in the brain and kidneys is well known as are some of the neural processes it affects. Within the brain,dendrin can be found in neurons and is most notably associated with sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation causes some areas of the brain dendrin levels to increase,but this increase is insignificant and in total sleep deprivation causes a decrease of the mRNA and protein form of dendrin. Along with two other proteins,MAGI/S-SCAM and α-actinin,dendrin is linked to synaptic plasticity and memory formation in the brain. Nicotine levels have also been shown to have an effect on dendrin expression in the brain. Although unlike sleep deprivation,nicotine increases overall dendrin level. Originally thought to be a brain specific protein,there is now evidence to suggest that dendrin is also found in the kidneys. Dendrin is used to detect glomerulopathy or renal disease,based on its location in the kidneys. Within the kidneys it also works to prevent urinary protein loss. Most studies and information on dendrin pertain specifically to rat or mice brains.
A neuronal lineage marker is an endogenous tag that is expressed in different cells along neurogenesis and differentiated cells such as neurons. It allows detection and identification of cells by using different techniques. A neuronal lineage marker can be either DNA,mRNA or RNA expressed in a cell of interest. It can also be a protein tag,as a partial protein,a protein or an epitope that discriminates between different cell types or different states of a common cell. An ideal marker is specific to a given cell type in normal conditions and/or during injury. Cell markers are very valuable tools for examining the function of cells in normal conditions as well as during disease. The discovery of various proteins specific to certain cells led to the production of cell-type-specific antibodies that have been used to identify cells.
Amita Sehgal is a molecular biologist and chronobiologist in the Department of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Sehgal was involved in the discovery of Drosophila TIM and many other important components of the Drosophila clock mechanism. Sehgal also played a pivotal role in the development of Drosophila as a model for the study of sleep. Her research continues to be focused on understanding the genetic basis of sleep and also how circadian systems relate to other aspects of physiology.
Benjamin Wolozin is an American pharmacologist and neurologist currently at Boston University School of Medicine and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Benjamin Wolozin,M.D.,Ph.D. received his B.A. from Wesleyan University and his M.D.,Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is currently a professor of Pharmacology,Neurology and the Program in Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine. He is also co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals Inc.,a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics to treat Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Brain cytoplasmic 200 long-noncoding RNA is a 200 nucleotide RNA transcript found predominantly in the brain with a primary function of regulating translation by inhibiting its initiation. As a long non-coding RNA,it belongs to a family of RNA transcripts that are not translated into protein (ncRNAs). Of these ncRNAs,lncRNAs are transcripts of 200 nucleotides or longer and are almost three times more prevalent than protein-coding genes. Nevertheless,only a few of the almost 60,000 lncRNAs have been characterized,and little is known about their diverse functions. BC200 is one lncRNA that has given insight into their specific role in translation regulation,and implications in various forms of cancer as well as Alzheimer's disease.
Erin Margaret Schuman,born May 15,1963 in California,USA,is a neurobiologist who studies neuronal synapses. She is currently a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.
Dan Peer is a Professor and the Director of the Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine at Tel Aviv University (TAU). He is also the Vice President for Research and Development at TAU. In 2017 he co-founded and acts as the managing director of SPARK Tel Aviv,Center for Translational Medicine. From 2016–2020 he was the chair of the TAU Cancer Biology Research Center.
Lauren Orefice is an American neuroscientist and assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Orefice has made innovative discoveries about the role of peripheral nerves and sensory hypersensitivity in the development of Autism-like behaviors. Her research now focuses on exploring the basic biology of somatosensory neural circuits for both touch and gastrointestinal function in order to shed light on how peripheral sensation impacts brain development and susceptibility to diseases like Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Guo-li Ming is a Chinese-American neuroscientist. She is the Perelman Professor of Neuroscience and a member of the Institute of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019,Ming was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for "pioneering the use of patient-derived human stem cells to model genetic and environmental risk for brain disorders,which has transformed our understanding of underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies."
Hongjun Song is a Chinese-American neurologist and stem cell biologist. He is the Perelman Professor of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine's Department of Neuroscience and co-director of the Institute for Regenerative Mediacine Neurodevelopment and Regeneration Program. In 2020,Song was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medicine for "revealing unexpected dynamics and plasticity of the neuronal epigenome,as well as its functions under physiological and pathological conditions."
