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A new study by McGill researchers yields insights into how the disruption of calcium transport in the brain is linked to autism and intellectual disability. The findings, published in the journal Nature, not only upend a long-held belief among neuroscientists, but could pave the way for treatments. The researchers discovered that tiny protein structures on brain cells, known as AMPA receptors, can transport calcium.

UdeM scientists use a combination of experimental data and modelling to reveal how physical forces help plants to generate their complex 3D shapes. Sylvia Silveira, Daniel Kierzkowski, Anne-Lise Routier-Kierzkowska and Loann Collet Credit: Amélie Bauer Plants don't just grow, they build. From towering trees to delicate flowers, complex plant shapes are sculpted with remarkable precision.

A large-scale study in which UdeM cardiologist Rafik Tadros took part focuses on the origins of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. Affecting one in 500 people, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the walls of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, become abnormally thick.

When a person's hearing and vision are uncompromised and function at a relatively high level, the human brain is able to take in various sights and sounds from any environment and seamlessly allow said person to perceive what's happening around them. But how does it work? Spoiler alert: There's more than meets the eye.

A new study led by Western researchers is the first to identify a factor that could influence how fast the pocket where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) hides dormant inside of cells shrinks when treated. HIV is difficult to cure, partly due to the virus' ability to create a "latent reservoir" - where it hides dormant inside of cells, safe from detection.

Young female chimpanzees make their nests earlier and more often than young male chimps, demonstrating their independence right from the start, a new UdeM study finds. When do you make your bed? In the morning when you get up? Well, if you were a chimpanzee - our closest genetic relative, with about 99 per cent of our DNA - you'd more likely make it at dusk, just before you go to sleep for the night.

This protein plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the barrier that controls exchanges between the blood and the brain When faced with chronic stress, some people develop anxiety and depressive symptoms, while others show great resilience. How can such differences be explained? It could be attributable, at least in part, to a protein that acts as a cannabinoid receptor and is present in the structure that controls exchanges between the bloodstream and the brain, suggests a study just published in Nature Neuroscience .

For the first time, a CRCHUM team has shown that, in mouse embryos, sister cells can communicate with each other through a bridge that allows them to die in a coordinated way.

Study finds practices in Buddhism and Christianity share a similar cognitive pathway to profound focus Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices - Buddhist jhana meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues - have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests. While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.

Proactively exposing ecosystems to mild environmental stressors appears to offer protection, study finds McGill researchers say their work could have important implications for managing biodiversity in the face of increasing anthropogenic stressors, such as climate change and pollution Mild, proactive exposure to environmental stress can help biological communities resist severe disturbances and maintain genetic diversity, a recent study from McGill University has found.

The Calgary Stroke Program, a joint University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services initiative at Foothills Medical Centre, has been involved with three papers published this week in The Lancet and Lancet Neurology-the ESCAPE-NEXT trial, the FRONTIER trial, and an individual patient level meta-analysis across three trials.

Biologist Jérémy De Bonville has analyzed the ability of four fish species to acclimate to temperature variations in their marine habitats. When exposed to an increase in the water temperature of their habitat, zebrafish, three-spined stickleback and flounder adapt more quickly than goldsinny wrasse, which dwells in deeper waters.

Carla Bautista Rodriguez has just completed her doctorate at the Faculty of Science and Engineering after a research adventure full of twists and turns . The Research Samples series recounts the experiences of members of the research student community. Carla Bautista Rodriguez was curious by nature, and knew she wanted to pursue a career in science.

A study explores how variations in the copy number of certain DNA segments can influence cognitive abilities and neurodevelopment. A significant advancement in knowledge of the link between cognition and genetics has been made thanks to a study led by Université de Montréal graduate students Guillaume Huguet and Thomas Renne, working under the supervision of medical geneticist Sébastien Jacquemont, an associate professor of pediatrics and a researcher at the UdeM-affiliated CHU Saint-Justine.

In an international effort, researchers at Western, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) uncovered how specific patterns in brain activity can predict an individual's sensitivity to pain, expanding opportunities for improved pain management strategies.

Researchers working with mice discover novel brain mechanism, potentially identifying new targets for treatment A brain rhythm working in tandem with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle may explain why bipolar patients alternate between mania and depression, according to new research. The McGill University-led study published in Science Advances marks a breakthrough in understanding what drives shifts between the two states, something that, according to lead author Kai-Florian Storch , is considered the "holy grail" of bipolar-disorder research.

A single gene that regulates testosterone levels in a "crazy" species of shore bird controls the development of three wildly different types of males, an international study involving researchers at Simon Fraser University has found. Ruffs have long fascinated scientists for their three types of males, known as morphs, that differ radically from each other in appearance and mating behaviours.

Professor Juan Carlos Villarreal believes it's time to pay more attention to so-called inferior plants Two recently published studies by a research team that includes Université Laval's Juan Carlos Villarreal demonstrate that modest, little-known plants can provide valuable fundamental knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth, and inspire innovations that can increase agricultural production.

Microplastics can go right through wastewater treatment plants, and researchers have engineered bacteria commonly found in there to break down this pollution before it can persist in the environment. Researchers from the University of Waterloo added DNA to several species of bacteria found in wastewater, allowing them to biodegrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic found in carpet, clothing and containers for food and beverages.

In the largest research effort to date, anthropologists at Université de Montréal succeed in sequencing the genomes of 162 lemurs from 50 species across the island of Madagascar - and solve an evolut Lemurs - those small, big-eyed primates that live in the trees of Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa - are a mystery of evolution.