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at 17 th century, Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens hung two of his newly invented pendulum clocks on a block of wood and observed that over time, the clocks synchronized their beats. He reported this finding, which he called ‘strange sympathy’, in 1665. Three and a half centuries later, neurons in the brain were found to synchronize their activity in the same way. Neurons in the brain often synchronize in quasi-rhythmic activity, collectively producing ‘brain waves’ that can sometimes be detected even from outside the skull using electroencephalography. Synchronization in these rhythms helps neurons to exchange information efficiently, which is essential for performing important functions such as learning, memory, attention, perception, and movement. How these rhythms are generated, maintained, and abolished to suit the ever-changing needs for smooth brain operation is an active area of ​​research. In a new study published today in Cell Reports, a team of n...

Using the UT Southwestern Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, researchers have for the first time captured images of autoantibodies bound to nerve cell surface receptors, revealing the physical mechanisms behind neurological autoimmune disease. The findings, published in Cell, could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat autoimmune conditions, the study authors said. “We are entering a new era of understanding how autoimmune diseases work in the central nervous system,” says Colleen M. Noviello, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at UTSW who specializes in obtaining cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). ) images up to atomic resolution. Dr. Noviello led the research with Ryan Hibbs, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Biophysics, Effie Marie Cain Scholar in Medical Research, and Investigator Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and Harald Prüss of the Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Researchers have studied autoimmune diseases — a class of conditions in which the i...

picture: Autoimmune encephalitis occurs when antibodies or T cells go bad and attack the brain. In this study, UTSW researchers and colleagues from Berlin used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the atomic structure of autoantibodies bound to GABAA receptors. The receptor is an important protein in the brain and a target in autoimmune encephalitis. see again Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center *Click here to watch the video Using the UT Southwestern Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, researchers have for the first time captured images of autoantibodies bound to nerve cell surface receptors, revealing the physical mechanisms behind neurological autoimmune disease. His findings, published in Cell, could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat autoimmune conditions, the study authors said. “We are entering a new era of understanding how autoimmune diseases work in the central nervous system,” says Colleen M. Noviello, Ph.D.,...