Archive Tag: Discovery Neuroscience

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Depression

UCLA researchers led by Baljit Khakh find connection that may unlock new therapies for psychiatric disorders like OCD

At right, a close-up of mouse brain tissue shows an engineered protein (stained green) being expressed by astrocytes, but no other cells. UCLA scientists used this technique to selectively silence astrocytes to explore their roles in mouse behavior.
UCLA Health

In studying astrocytes – understudied brain support cells that make up about 40 percent of our brain – UCLA researchers led by Baljit Khakh (Physiology and Neurobiology) found a connection that opens the door for new therapies for psychiatric disorders like OCD. Read more →

Depression

New method developed at UCLA enables scientists to study cell activity & uncover interactions that support healthy brain function

A new method enables scientists to see an astrocyte (green) physically interacting with a synapse (red) in real time, and producing an optical signal (yellow).
Khakh Lab/UCLA Health

Baljit Khakh, a professor of physiology and neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, developed a novel tool to more closely analyze astrocytes’ relationships with synapses in the brain. Astrocytes are brain cells that are believed to hold key information about neurological disorders. Khakh and his team utilized Read more →

Depression

Understanding the impact of traumatic events on depression

Researchers Adriana Galván, left, and Sarah Tashjian studied activity in two key regions of the brain’s reward system: the nucleus accumbens and the medial prefrontal cortex.
Reed Hutchinson/UCLA

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, certain individuals that were disturbed by the election have suffered from symptoms of depression, while others that were equally disturbed by the election result have not experienced symptoms of depression. Senior Author Adriana Galván, Read more →

Depression

Researchers map gene activity during brain development that may underlie a variety of psychiatric disorders such as depression

Dr. Daniel Geschwind
UCLA Health

UCLA researchers are the first to compile a map of gene regulation in human neurogenesis, the process by which neural stem cells become cells in the brain. Gene expression, the switching on and off of certain genes, guides the process of neurogenesis. Senior author Daniel Geschwind, professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and his colleagues Read more →

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