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Researchers find mutation hotspots for severe form of genetic epilepsy that give insights into the underlying pathogenesis
The lab of Hee Jung Chung, Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, recently released a paper in Scientific Reports titled “Identifying mutation hotspots reveals pathogenetic mechanisms of KCNQ2 epileptic encephalopathy” to help fill in the gaps in our...
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Spinal cord gives bio-bots walking rhythm
Miniature biological robots are making greater strides than ever, thanks to the spinal cord directing their steps. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers developed the tiny walking “spinobots,” powered by rat muscle and spinal cord tissue on a soft, 3D-printed hydrogel skeleton....
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Study reveals neuronal response following chronic activation of an epilepsy- and autism-linked receptor
Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (Gp1 mGluRs) are essential for neuroplasticity, neurodevelopment and cognition, but chronically active Gp1 mGluRs has been linked to many pathologic conditions including epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. To characterize the effects of chronically...
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Meet MCB: Professor Dan Llano
Professor Daniel Llano is a neurologist at the Carle Neuroscience Institute and has been a faculty member in the MIP department since 2010. He obtained his BS, PhD, and MD at UIUC before moving to Massachusetts to pursue his clinical training at Harvard Medical School. He later became a post-...
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Meet MCB: Professor Lori Raetzman
Professor Lori Raetzman joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Since joining, the Raetzman group has produced highly impactful work regarding the development and function of both the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Over the past 14 years, students from the Raetzman lab...
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Study: Heterozygous loss of KCNQ2 potassium channel gene induces autism-associated behaviors
Molecular and integrative physiology professor Hee Jung Chung, her postdoctoral fellow Eung Chang Kim, Psychology professor Justin Rhodes, and their colleagues discovered that heterozygous loss of KCNQ2 potassium channel gene induces autism-associated behaviors in mice including social avoidance,...
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Living in a Cacophonous World
We live in an environment characterized by a multitude of complex, diverse sounds. The ability to filter, select and understand specific sounds from this rich environment can impact learning, speech, and even our survival. Just imagine driving your car in heavy traffic while listening intently...
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Christian Lab: Effects of epilepsy on neural activity in mice fluctuate with reproductive cycle, study finds
Mice with epilepsy have altered patterns of neuron activity in the portion of the brain that controls the reproductive endocrine system, University of Illinois researchers report in a new study.
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Study: Abnormal expression and phosphoinositide regulation of KCNQ/Kv7 channels linked to severe form of genetic epilepsy
Molecular and integrative physiology professor Hee Jung Chung, postdoctoral fellow Eung Chang Kim, and their colleagues discovered that abnormal expression and phosphoinositide regulation of KCNQ/Kv7 potassium channels underlie neuronal hyperexcitability and injury in early-onset epileptic...
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RNA-Binding protein, Mov10, is key to both survival and brain function
A study led by Dr. Geena Skariah, a recent Neuroscience graduate of the Ceman lab in Cell and Developmental Biology, and current postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan, revealed the importance of the protein Mov10 (Moloney leukemia virus 10) in neurological development in animals....