neuroscience

Dysfunction in Janitorial Gene Contributes to ALS

IRP Study Points to Treatment Target for Fatal Neurological Disorder

person taking out the trash

Just like we throw out our busted toasters and other appliances, our cells must continuously dispose of malfunctioning equipment to keep themselves working optimally. In certain neurological diseases, though, neurons die because they can’t get rid of misbehaving molecules. New IRP research provides crucial insights into a key player in this process, suggesting that restoring the function of a particular gene or boosting the levels of the enzyme it produces could help patients with the devastating disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Illuminating the Brain’s Hidden Secrets

New Molecules for PET Scans Shed Light on Psychiatric Disorders

PET scans of the brain

For most kids, witnessing a classmate get teased for strange behavior or learning struggles is an unfortunate but common part of life. Growing up, IRP senior investigator Robert Innis, M.D., Ph.D., viewed the situation differently when he observed it during a high school geometry class.

“Some of my classmates were criticizing one student like he was a bad person,” he remembers. “I kept thinking, ‘You can’t blame him. It’s the chemistry in his brain that causes him to act that way. Don’t think you’re so high and mighty. It’s just your chemistry!’”

That interest in brain chemistry and how it relates to normal and abnormal behavior laid the foundation for Dr. Innis’s research in neuropsychiatry and brain imaging. As we observe World Brain Day on July 22, we took the opportunity to talk with Dr. Innis about his research, which uses a technique called positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the levels of various proteins in people’s brains and learn about their function in both healthy states and neuropsychiatric diseases.

Jekyll-and-Hyde Gene Has Dual Influences on Dementia Risk

IRP’s Priyanka Narayan Explores How the ApoE Gene Affects Fat Management in the Brain

two DNA molecules overlaid on top of a brain

Just as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde exhibited the extremes of good and bad qualities in a single man, IRP Stadtman Investigator Priyanka Narayan, Ph.D., is showing how a single gene can both protect against and raise the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. As we observe Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month this June, we talked with Dr. Narayan about her work.

“Our research focuses on understanding fundamental cell biology in brain cells and how genetic factors affecting that biology can predispose individuals to Alzheimer's disease,” Dr. Narayan says. “More recently, we’ve become interested in protective factors that make people more resistant to getting Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of neurodegenerative diseases as well.”

Picturing Stroke Recovery

IRP’s Larry Latour Peeks Into the Damaged Brain

x-ray view of the brain as a person experiences a stroke

The word ‘stroke,’ attributed to the idea of ‘a stroke of God’s hand,’ was first used in 1599 to describe the sudden seizure, paralysis, and brain damage that was previously called ‘apoplexy.’ It was a fitting analogy. Strokes, which affect nearly 800,000 Americans every year, hit suddenly and terrifyingly, with devastating consequences. Speed is critical to good treatment outcomes, but until recently very little could be done. 

May is Stroke Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to the risks and symptoms of stroke and the new treatments that are helping people recover with fewer lasting effects. We recently spoke with IRP senior scientist Lawrence L. Latour, Ph.D., an expert on brain imaging who leads the Acute Cerebrovascular Diagnostics Unit, a unique partnership between the NIH Intramural Research Program and two hospitals in the metro, D.C., area: Suburban Hospital and Medstar Washington Hospital Center. The collaboration, launched in 2000, aimed to incorporate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in examinations of patients experiencing symptoms of stroke. This allowed the clinicians to diagnose patients more easily and then, through imaging at later time points, look at how patients responded to their treatments in order to learn ways to improve therapy.

Gender Differences in Emotional Responses May Start in the Womb

Research Suggests Hormonal Exposures In-Utero Influence Mental Health

illustration of connections in the brains of a man and a woman

Over the past few decades, broad stereotypes about how men and women behave have given way to a more nuanced understanding of the many factors that contribute to sex differences. While culture and environment undoubtedly play a huge role, it’s becoming increasingly clear that biological influences shape male and female brains differently starting at the very beginning of life. Recent IRP research sheds additional light on this age-old question by revealing that women exposed to higher levels of certain hormones in-utero had emotional responses to the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic that more closely matched those of men.

From Fruit Fly Genes to Sweet Dreams

IRP’s Susan Harbison Unravels the Genetics of Sleep Disorders

swarm of fruit flies on an apple

Comedian George Carlin used to call sleep “a bizarre activity.” In his act, he observed, “For the next several hours, while the sun is gone, I’m going to become unconscious, temporarily losing command over everything I know and understand. When the sun comes up, I’ll resume my life.”

Every year on March 15, the celebration of World Sleep Day reminds us that sleep remains a baffling biological mystery. What happens when we sleep, why we need it, and why it varies so much between individuals are still unclear despite the best efforts of many scientists. That enduring enigma is what has driven IRP senior investigator Susan Harbison, Ph.D., to investigate the biological basis and genetics of sleep.

IRP Graduate Students Show Off Their Work at Annual Symposium

Event Highlights Efforts of Early-Career Researchers

IRP graduate student Kenya Debarros poses with her scientific poster

The IRP’s reputation as a leader in biomedical research attracts scientists in all stages of their careers and from all corners of the U.S. and the world. Once a year, the motley collection of graduate students who are completing their Ph.D. research in NIH labs gets to tout its scientific accomplishments at NIH’s Graduate Student Research Symposium, which took place this year on February 15.

During the event’s two poster sessions, more than 120 IRP graduate students presented the results of their research so far, from the development of better ways to grow retina-like collections of cells in the lab to insights into how the brain regulates feelings of hunger. Read on for a brief look at a few of the IRP’s brilliant budding scientists and the discoveries they showed off at the event.

Brain Pathway Amplifies Pain After Injury

Mouse Study Could Aid Development of Treatments for Chronic Pain

patient with shoulder injury talks with doctor

Getting hurt or sick is bad enough, but millions of patients around the world continue to experience pain or hypersensitivity even after their ailment resolves itself. Despite the prevalence of chronic pain, few effective treatments are available, especially ones without the potential for addiction that opioid medications carry. However, new IRP research has shown that suppressing the electrical firing of neurons in a certain brain area can alleviate injury-induced hypersensitivity in mice, providing a promising new target for treatments aimed at relieving chronic pain.

Gene Therapy Protects Neurons From Alzheimer’s Disease

New Approach Preserves Cognitive Abilities in Pre-Symptomatic Mice

diagram showing a virus entering a cell and delivering a gene into its nucleus

Cooks preparing traditional holiday feasts will surely find that a fire extinguisher can effectively quench an oven inferno, but it would probably be better if the oven never caught fire in the first place. Similarly, Alzheimer’s researchers have focused much more on putting out the biological fires scorching patients’ brains than on making brain cells ‘fireproof.’ A new IRP study in mice, however, suggests better results might be achieved with an approach specifically designed to make patients’ neurons more resilient.

Suppressing Neurons Curbs Withdrawal-Induced Pain Hypersensitivity

Insights From Mouse Study Could Aid Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

man with neck pain

A headache or stubbed toe is annoying enough as it is, but for people in recovery from opioid use disorder, everyday aches and pains — and even sensations that would ordinarily not be painful at all — can be amped up to the point that they become quite distressing. A new IRP mouse study has helped scientists home in on the specific brain cells that might cause this phenomenon, providing a first step towards an intervention that could make it easier for people to stop using addictive opioid medications or illegal drugs like heroin.