Biology and Neurology
Press Releases
Peptide Discovered in Scorpion Venom May Be Key to Secretory Diseases
February 14, 2008 — Researchers have discovered a peptide in scorpion venom that may hold the key to understanding and controlling cystic fibrosis and other secretory diseases. An international team of researchers describes how this novel peptide, called GaTx1, can control the movement of ions and water out of cells by interacting with a crucial chloride channel.
Polymer with Neurotransmitter Promotes Nerve Growth
Strategy encourages regeneration of damaged central nervous system cells
December 11, 2007 — Georgia Tech researchers reported a potential strategy for encouraging the regeneration of damaged central nervous system cells known as neurons. The technique would use a biodegradable polymer containing a chemical group that mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to spur the growth of neurites, which are projections that form the connections among neurons and between neurons and other cells. The biomimetic polymers would then guide the growth of the regenerating nerve.
For Easy Tasks, Brain Preps and Decides Together
March 6, 2007 — A Georgia Tech researcher has discovered that for tasks involving spatial processing, preparing for the task and performing it are not two separate brain processes, but one — at least when there are a small number of actions to choose from. In a brain imaging study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Eric Schumacher, assistant professor of psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, along with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Berkeley, monitored the activity of brain regions in subjects while they responded to visual stimuli.
Scientists Unravel Clue in Cortisol Production
April 24, 2007 — When a person's under stress or injured, the adrenal gland releases cortisol to help restore the body's functions to normal. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered an important step in cortisol production, finding that although the output of the hormone is continuous, the molecular production is cyclic in nature — involving a rhythmic binding and unbinding of a protein essential to its production. The research, which increases understanding of how the brain and the endocrine system work together to regulate health.
Simulation Reveals How Body Repairs Balance
Researchers design simulation to better rehabilitate patients with balance problems, build robots with better balance
September 25, 2007 — When the brain's neural pathways are impaired through injury, age or illness, muscles are deprived of the detailed sensory information they need to perform the constant yet delicate balancing act required for normal movement and standing. With an eye towards building robots that can balance like humans, researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have created a computer simulation that sheds new light on how the nervous system reinvents its communication with muscles after sensory loss.
Evidence of "Memory" Seen in Cells & Molecules
Researchers study assumption of independence in test sequences
October 29, 2007 — Research reported provides evidence that some molecular interactions on cell surfaces may have a "memory" that affects their future interactions. This report could lead to a re-examination of results from certain single-molecule research where sequentially repeated tests to obtain statistical samples of molecular properties usually assume that each test is identical to — and independent of — any other tests in the sequence. The latest findings from researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology provide examples of test sequences that may not be composed of independent and identically-distributed random variables.
Scientists ID Brain Circuits Used in Touch
October 12, 2007 — The ability to tactually recognize fine spatial details, such as the raised dots used in braille, is especially important to those who are blind. With that in mind, a Georgia Tech team of researchers has identified the neural circuitry that facilitates spatial discrimination through touch. Understanding this circuitry may lead to the creation of sensory-substitution devices, such as tactile maps for the visually impaired.
Portable Device Quickly Detects Early Alzheimer's
January 16, 2008 — The latest medications can delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. A new device developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University is due to reach the market in 2008 allowing patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor's office to detect mild cognitive impairment — often the earliest stage of Alzheimer's.
Bacteria That Degrades PCBs Identified for Development of a Bioremediation Strategy
March 28, 2007 — Researchers have identified a group of bacteria that can detoxify a common type of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have contaminated more than 250 U.S. sites, including river and lake sediments. The discovery is a first step toward a bioremediation strategy that would naturally detoxify the chemicals without risky removal of the sediments in which they persist.