Columbia neuroscientists found that the mouse brain can direct the body's immune system to an unexpected degree, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for many immune disorders.
A study co-led by Columbia scientists suggests a nutrient transporter located at the blood-brain barrier could be commandeered to sneak therapeutic drugs into the brain.
Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with rat neurons, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into another.
An analysis of more than 40,000 primary sensory neurons in the skin has found multiple different types, each sensing a more complex range of stimuli than previously assumed.
Deficiency of a protein in the hippocampus is a major cause of age-related memory loss, and this form of memory loss is reversible, according to Columbia researchers.
CUMC's Dr. Eric Kandel (2000 Nobel Laureate) said the project may lead to an understanding of "who we are as human beings and how we function and how these terrible diseases arise, and what we might be able to do address them more effectively."
The first evidence that selective activation of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus can reduce anxiety without affecting learning - important therapeutic implications.