neuroscience, genetics & genomics

Researchers pinpoint a gene marker for neurons sensitive to gentle touch such as grooming.

A putative ion channel integral to mammalian hearing turns out to be an elusive salt-sensing chemoreceptor in nematode worms.

A microfluidic device scans individual C. elegans for abnormal traits and sorts wild-type animals from mutants.

Researchers map the expression patterns of 1,000 genes in the human brain.

Researchers identify a gene variant that reduces risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Retrotransposons contribute to genetic variability in human brain cells.

This year’s winners research topics ranging from stem cell regulation to brain damage from football injuries.

The hallmark pathology of Parkinson’s disease is the damage and death of dopamine producing neurons in the brain. 

The minority of Parkinson’s cases now known to have genetic origins are shedding light on the cellular mechanisms of all the rest, bringing researchers closer to a cause—and perhaps a cure.

Cracking the Secrets of Posttranslational Modifications

Recent results are as puzzling as they are beguiling, dredging up debates about the nature of language and the ability of a single gene to affect it so greatly.