Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipose cells, sending the satiety signal to the brain. Sometimes, certain overweight or obese individuals develop resistance to this hormone, which is no longer able to deliver its message. A team led by Vincent Prévot, Inserm Research Director at the Jean Pierre Aubert Research Centre in Lille, has used […]
Despite its beneficial effects against pain, morphine use is accompanied by adverse effects such as constipation, nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression, and potential dependence on the drug. A research team led by Alain Eschalier, Director of Inserm Unit 1107, Neuro-Dol, in Clermont Ferrand, has just shown that it is possible to separate these two types of […]
In mammals, light is essential in order for the body to function properly. This response to light is controlled in our bodies by a biological clock. Like well-oiled clockwork, the central clock located in a small structure of the brain known as the hypothalamus in turn synchronises numerous secondary clocks present in other areas of […]
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is one of the most frequent causes of sudden non-accidental death in young adults. The origin of SUDEP remains unknown, since it generally occurs at night, unwitnessed. SUDEP sometimes occurs in hospital, while the vital functions are being monitored and recorded. These are the data that Prof. Philippe Ryvlin, […]
A team of researchers led by Brahim Nait Oumesmar, Inserm Research Director at the PITIE-SALPETRIERE NEUROSCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER (CRICM) in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg, has just discovered a new molecule capable of stimulating the repair of the myelin destroyed in experimental models of multiple sclerosis. This advance will be published in The Journal […]
An international consortium has just revealed five new genetic regions associated with migraine in a study published on 23 June 2013 in the journal Nature Genetics, bringing the total number identified in recent years to 12. Researchers from Inserm Unit 708 “Neuroepidemiology” in Bordeaux participated in the vast research by comparing nearly 118,000 items of […]
A gene involved in so-called “focal” epilepsy, the most frequent form of the condition, has been discovered by the research team directed by Eric Leguern and Stéphanie Baulac of Inserm unit 975 “Genetics and physiopathology of family epilepsy” at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle (ICM) of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. The researchers studied […]
Depression is a common multifactorial condition in which the appearance of symptoms is often linked to patients’ lifestyle. Of these factors, nutrition appears to play a significant role. Studies performed in a collaborative project between INSERM researchers in Montpellier and at University College London suggest than an improvement in the quality of nutrition is associated […]
To test this hypothesis, the researchers developed a test in which 39 participants were invited to squeeze their fists tightly in exchange for a payment proportional to the length of time during which they were able to perform this feat. The researchers used two brain imaging techniques to record the participants’ brain activity during the […]