28
Jun
The GliaCure team was excited by a recent study out of the University of Finland. Led by Mikko Hiltunen, the group provided support for the hypothesis that amyloid beta (Aβ) plays a key role in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Five years ago an Icelandic team discovered that a mutation in the amyloid precursor protein…more »
04
May
On May 4, 2017 GliaCure President Philip Haydon’s laboratory at Tufts University published its findings on the role of astrocytes in schizophrenia in the journal Neuron. N-methyl D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a direct role in many aspects of brain physiology. It is hypothesized that diminished functioning of synaptic NMDAR signaling underlies the etiology of schizophrenia.…more »
26
Apr
GliaCure President Phil Haydon’s research on Alzheimer’s disease is featured in Tufts Now, the online content and information hub for the university community. The article, authored by Bruce Morgan, details the initial resistance by the scientific community to the hypothesis that glia play an active role in brain signaling, Phil’s first discoveries regarding the role…more »
18
Dec
I was very excited to read about research recently published by a group from Stanford regarding the potential role for microglia in Alzheimer’s disease (http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2014/12/blocking-receptor-in-brains-immune-cells-counters-alzheimers.html). While the work by Karin Andreasson and her team focuses on a receptor protein called EP2, the underlying conclusions of her research – that restoring the activity of microglia to…more »
26
Feb
On February 10, 2014 the ALZFORUM (www.alzforum.org) highlighted work by a team from Columbia University showing that astrocytes, a specialized type of glia cell, cause the death of motor neurons in an in vitro study of cells from ALS patients. The authors of the study are now trying to identify the toxic factor that astrocytes…more »
26
Feb
GliaCure President Phil Haydon recently co-authored a review in the journal Neuron on gliotransmitters and the interplay between glia and neuron in signaling in the brain.
20
Sep
NIH neuroscientist Douglas Fields recently called for glia to be included in the BRAIN mapping initiative. The initiative, part of a new Presidential focus aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain, was announced in April 2013. The original intent of the project was to map out neuronal connections, but as Fields pointed out…more »
05
Sep
A group from the Netherlands has recently reported on a likely role for glia in schizophrenia susceptibility. Based on studies that glial cells play a significant role in synaptic transmission the group carried out a a functional gene set analysis to test for the combined effects of genetic variants in glial type-specific genes for association with…more »
09
May
A manuscript published in the May 5 edition of Nature Medicine documents research findings that stimulating endogenous ATP release from astrocytes induces antidepressant-like effects in mouse models of depression. The authors summarize their study by stating that: “Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the antidepressant-like effect of ATP may allow the identification of new targets for…more »
19
Mar
A new study recently published by GliaCure President Phil Haydon’s research lab at Tufts University indicates that astrocytes play a vital role in the spread of damage after stroke. This study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that, while researchers have previously focused on the role of neurons and their release of neurotransmitters in…more »