New: Discoveries
-
The biological memory of a stressful event can be passed on to offspring
Postnatal stress causes molecular changes in the brains of mice exposed to this stress, and these changes can be passed on to their offspring. A research team has just demonstrated that molecular changes that occur in the brain following postnatal stress have lasting effects on the propensity to anxiety and sensitivity to pain in mice…
-
Article in Le Soleil about a new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer’s disease
Certaines capacités cognitives ont été rétablies chez des souris atteintes de l’Alzheimer grâce à la molécule créée par des scientifiques de l’Université Laval et de l’Université de Lethbridge. “Although this has yet to be demonstrated in humans, we believe that the mechanism we have identified constitutes a very interesting therapeutic target because it is not…
-
Why does a burn cause more pain than a pinch?
A study highlights the mechanism responsible for differential processing of these pain signals in the spinal cord. Story by Jean Hamann, translation by CERVO Why is it that the pain of a burn seems more intense and lasts longer than the pain of a pinch? “Intuitively, I thought it was because the burn caused more physical…
-
New paper in Nature Communications
Pain hypersensitivity and many other diseases could be associated with a protein that acts as an ion pump in neurons. The research team led by Yves De Koninck, at Université Laval’s Faculté de médecine and the CERVO Brain Research Centre had already targeted a protein called KCC2 as a key player in the mechanism leading to…
-
New publication in Nature Medicine shows existing drugs can alleviate morphine withdrawal
A recent publication in Nature Medicine co-authored by Robert Bonin and Yves De Koninck offers new hope for people addicted to morphine and fentanyl. By investigating the underlying causes of withdrawal symptoms, the researchers identified a protein located in immune cells of the spinal cord called pannexin-1 as a major player, which lead them to look…
-
Knitting neurons – in the top 10 discoveries of 2016 for Québec Science
A discovery made in collaboration with Yves De Koninck of the Neurophotonics Centre has been listed as one of the top 10 discoveries of 2016 by Québec Science, and is a candidate for the magazine’s people’s choice award for discovery of the year. This discovery, a collaboration between neuroscientists and physicists, offers hope for repair…
-
Cover of Journal of Neuroscience
The Journal of Neuroscience has recently featured on its front page a figure from an article De Koninck laboratory members contributed to. The article studies the localisation of a specific receptor on neurons, the Coxsackievirus Adenovirus Receptor (CAR), in healthy brains, but also during development and in neurodegenerative disease conditions. The study suggests CAR has…
-
Teaching the Nervous System to Forget Chronic Pain
Research recently published by the De Koninck lab showed that hyperalgesia could be reversed when reactivated, in a manner similar to memory reconsolidation. This important discovery was recently featured on PBS’s NovaNext website The original research was published in Nature Neuroscience
-
Discovery of a new means to erase pain
A study published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience by Yves De Koninck and Robert Bonin reveals that it is possible to relieve pain hypersensitivity using a new method that involves rekindling pain so that it can subsequently be erased. This discovery could lead to novel means to alleviate chronic pain. Université Laval published a press release about…
-
Université Laval and Roche team up to test promising new drugs
Université Laval and Roche recently signed a collaborative research agreement to test promising compounds for several disorders of the brain, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thanks to this joint initiative, Yves De Koninck and his team will be able to pursue the development of the many scientific discoveries and advances they have made in the…