Blood–brain communication: Essential for regulation of autonomic nervous system and optimal health?

Professor Alastair V Ferguson researches blood–brain communication and s has focused on understanding how our brain controls many critical variables – including glucose, oxygen, blood pressure and electrolytes to maintain optimal body function and avoid issues with hypertension or obesity.

Professor Alastair V Ferguson leads an interdisciplinary neuroscience research group at Queens University in Canada, studying the central nervous system with a specific focus on understanding changes in brain function associated with hypertension and obesity. More specifically, the group’s recent studies have focused on understanding how our brain controls many critical variables – including glucose, oxygen, blood pressure and electrolytes […]

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Using β3 integrin to control reactive astrocytes, and help neurons survive

brain scan from a rat

The long-ignored astrocyte is of more interest than ever in neuroscience. When the central nervous system is damaged, astrocytes undergo astrogliosis, morphing into reactive astrocytes to protect neurons from further damage. But, as it turns out, this process could be doing more harm than good by not allowing damaged neurons to mend themselves. Professor Lisette Leyton of the University of […]

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Advances in CNS drug development

Advances in CNS drug development

The global prevalence of diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS) demands the development of efficacious therapies for these unmet needs. However, drug development for CNS diseases is complicated by a limited ability to measure whether a drug candidate is accessing and affecting the human brain, particularly in early-stage human trials. Research by Dr Eugenii (Ilan) Rabiner and his colleagues: Dr […]

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