研究者らは、かゆみをかくことによって十分な安らぎが得られたことを脳に伝達する、TRPV4分子が関与する神経信号を発見した。マウスを用いた実験により、この信号がないと、かゆみをかく回数は減るものの、1回あたりの時間が長くなることが明らかになった。
この発見は、ブリュッセルのルーヴァン大学のロベルタ・グアルダーニ氏が率いる研究チームによるものである。研究チームは、感覚ニューロンにあるTRPV4チャネルが、神経系における負のフィードバック機構の活性化を助けていることを突き止めた。この機構が脊髄と脳に対し、かゆみをかいたことによる満足感が得られたことを伝え、かく行為を停止させるよう促している。
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A team led by David Julius, the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, has described the molecular mechanism by which intestinal tuft cells signal the brain to suppress appetite during parasitic infections. Published today in Nature, the study identifies communication via acetylcholine and serotonin that activates the vagus nerve. The finding could aid treatments for conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have pinpointed a brain region called the caudal granular insular cortex, or CGIC, that acts as a switch turning acute pain into chronic pain. In animal studies, disabling this circuit prevented chronic pain from developing or reversed it once established. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, open paths to new treatments beyond opioids.
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Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney report that inducing localized inflammation in a striatal region involved in action selection pushed rats toward more goal-directed, outcome-sensitive behavior rather than automatic habits. The team traced the effect to disrupted astrocyte function, a finding they say could inform future approaches to compulsive disorders such as OCD and addiction.
Researchers working with the University of Auckland and Brazil’s University of São Paulo report that neurons in the medulla’s lateral parafacial (pFL) region—best known for helping drive forceful exhalations—also amplify sympathetic nerve activity and can raise blood pressure in an animal model of neurogenic hypertension. Inhibiting these neurons lowered blood pressure toward normal in hypertensive rats, findings published in Circulation Research.
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Researchers at UCLA Health and UC San Francisco have identified a natural defense mechanism in brain cells that helps remove toxic tau protein, potentially explaining why some neurons resist Alzheimer's damage better than others. The study, published in Cell, used CRISPR screening on lab-grown human neurons to uncover this system. Findings suggest new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative diseases.