Huntington's disease is a hereditary disorder that causes degeneration of the neurons involved in cognitive, motor and psychiatric functions. While existing treatments address the symptoms and relieve certain aspects of the disease, they cannot alter its course.
Understanding the three-dimensional structure of DNA and RNA and how they interact with other molecules is necessary for the advancement of biomedical research and drug development. A team led by Inserm researcher Valérie Gabelica at the Nucleic acids: natural and artificial regulation laboratory (ARNA, Inserm/CNRS/Université de Bordeaux)[1] has developed an innovative method pairing mass spectrometry with circularly polarized light, enabling better characterization of these different molecular interactions.
When it comes to recognizing a melody or understanding a spoken sentence, the human brain does not mobilize its hemispheres in an equivalent way. A team of researchers has been able to show that, due to different receptivities to the components of sound, the left auditory cortex neurons participate in the recognition of speech, whereas the right auditory cortex neurons participate in that of music.
The leading cause of mortality worldwide, cardiovascular diseases claim over 17 million lives each year, according to World Health Organization estimates. To open up new research avenues into this serious public health problem, Inserm researcher Nicolas L’Heureux and his team are developing "human textiles" from collagen in order to repair damaged blood vessels.
Using cerebral imaging, connections between the various brain regions can be visualized. These connections form a veritable "map" of its structure, specific to each individual. Knowledge of these "maps" is enough to predict not just brain function but also the potential development and treatment of neurological diseases.
Restoring sight to patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or retinitis pigmentosa has become an increasingly likely prospect over recent years, with many researchers working to develop an artificial retina.
One hypothesis put forward to explain the repetitive behaviors of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lack of cognitive flexibility. However, this may well not be the case. A recent study used MRI to track the brain activity of autistic and non-autistic subjects faced with situations similar to those that cause problems in the daily lives of people with the disorder. Their findings, published in Brain and Cognition,...
A research team used 3D culture to develop adipose tissue organoids (or adipospheres) – small cellular units that mimic the characteristics and organization of adipose tissue as it presents in vivo.
Researchers from Inserm and Université de Strasbourg at Unit 1260 "Regenerative Nanomedicine" have developed an implant which, when applied like a wound dressing, regenerates cartilage in the event of major joint lesions and incipient osteoarthritis.
A team of Inserm and CNRS researchers has succeeded in developing new-generation chemical sensors to monitor the brain’s metabolism, particularly during stroke, trauma or epileptic seizure. Measuring less than 15 µm in diameter, these minimally-invasive tools monitor what is happening in the brain in order to obtain data that are much more reliable and representative of the neurochemical exchanges. This research has been published in ACS Central Science.
