ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

In pursuit of better ways to test new therapies and further explore the impacts of the unique genetics associated with Down syndrome, researchers have genetically engineered and characterized what is believed to be the first rat model of Down syndrome.

This study's findings will help congenital neurological disease (e.g. spinal muscular atrophy) specialists better understand the mechanisms and components involved in CNS development. Notably, the findings of this work demonstrate unequivocally that Ddx20 is a novel Olig2-interacting factor and a potent suppressor of the p53 pathway, contributing to the maintenance of neuronal and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells during CNS development. Therefore, Ddx20 and Olig2 are promising molecular targets for development of future therapeutic strategies.

People living with neurological or psychiatric conditions may have an increased likelihood of having a second such condition in the future, and their sex influences their risk, according to new research.

Researchers have developed a new method for training people to be creative, one that shows promise of succeeding far better than current ways of sparking innovation.