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What is it? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of technology used to take detailed pictures of the body. It is commonly used to detect abnormalities in the body, diagnose diseases, and to regularly monitor patients who are undergoing treatments. It can generate three-dimensional images of non-bony tissues, such Read More…
Written by Dr. Judit M. Pérez Ortiz Edited by Dr. Brenda Toscano Márquez Scientists describe how SCA2 oxidative stress can affect mitochondrial function, and potentially how to fix it Mitochondrial Stress We all have experienced stress. When cramming for an exam last minute, or getting ready for a job interview, Read More…
RNA interference, or RNAi, is a natural biological process that inhibits the expression of a specific gene. In medicine, targeted RNAi therapies can be used to silence the expression of a disease-causing gene. To understand RNAi, you first have to understand RNA. An overview of RNA is the messager between Read More…
Written by Dr. Judit M. Perez Ortiz Edited by Dr. Sriram Jayabal In a new study, scientists have found that “zapping” the brain with an electromagnetic wand may someday help patients with spinocerebellar ataxia. In an era of ever-evolving technological advances used for personal entertainment and space travel, medical scientists Read More…
In many diseases caused by repeat expansion mutations in the DNA, harmful proteins containing repetitive stretches are found to build up in the brain. The repeat expansion mutation, when translated into a protein, results in an abnormally expanded repeat tract that can affect the function of the protein and have Read More…
Written by Jorge Diogo Da Silva Edited by Dr. David Bushart Normalizing neuronal dysfunction in SCA3/MJD by activating a receptor inside cells Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that typically begins in mid-adulthood. This disease causes loss of coordination and Read More…
A common nuisance for bacteria is the bacteriophage: a virus that uses the internal machinery of a bacteria to replicate its own genetic material. Bacteriophages do this by latching onto bacteria and injecting their DNA into the cell. As the cell grows and divides, the bacteriophage’s hope is that their Read More…
Written by Dr. Marija Cvetanovic Edited by Larissa Nitschke Purkinje cells (a type of neuron in the cerebellum) are the most vulnerable cells in many Spinocerebellar Ataxias (SCAs). While animal models of SCA have been very fruitful in understanding the mechanisms of Purkinje cell neurodegeneration, none of these models have Read More…
Written by Eviatar Fields Edited by Dr. Vitaliy Bondar Scientists use Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor to delay motor symptom onset and cell death in a mouse model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that affects about 2 out of 100,000 individuals. Read More…
RNA is an important molecule that helps with regulating the function of cells. To fully understand how RNA fits in here, we must first look at the bigger picture: genetics. The central dogma of molecular biology, depicted below, states that DNA is copied (transcribed) into RNA, which is later decoded Read More…
