Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is ...

Human brains (and the brains of other vertebrates) are able to process information faster because of myelin, a fatty substance that forms a protective sheath over the axons of our nerve cells and ...

Ancient viruses have really gotten on our nerves, but in the best of ways. One particular retrovirus — embedded in the DNA of jawed vertebrates — helps turn on production of a protein needed to ...

The disruption of axons—the thread-like part of nerve cells that transmits electrical signals—is associated with Alzheimer's disease. One way axonal function may be hindered is through damage to the ...

Demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, present a substantial and escalating burden. Each of these conditions afflicts approximately three ...

The idea that infiltrating T cells contribute to a neurodegenerative environment in aging and in Alzheimer’s disease has gotten another boost. In the June 27 Nature Neuroscience, scientists led by ...

Saint Louis University’s Protein Core is a shared-use core facility that supports expression, purification and analysis of reagent and preclinical proteins. The core provides instrumentation and ...

Researchers report in the journal Cell that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin—and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or ...