Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is an enzyme that converts the amino acid L-tyrosine into the neurotrasmitter L-DOPA, fundamental for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Mutations in the gene that codes for TH cause a reduction in enzyme activity and are associated to disorders like tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency (THD), Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. For […]
Author Archives: Linda Cassis
12 posts published by Linda Cassis
New insights about the astro-neuronal network that controls brain function
When Albert Einstein died in 1955, his brain was put in a jar of formaldehyde and sectioned at the University of Pennsylvania by the pathologist Thomas Harvey, who discovered that the brilliant scientist had more astrocytes (or glial cells) than an average male brain. This finding remained underestimated until the 90s, when Stephen J. Smith […]
Gut microbes induce serotonin production
We know, thanks to years of investigation, that our intestine is populated by 1-2 kilograms of microorganisms, almost the equivalent of an average human brain. We also know that this living and transforming universe is critical for digestion of food, regulation of immune system, response to drugs and susceptibility to disease. Recently, amazing data indicate […]
Sleep traps memory. The role of dopamine
With only 100,000 neurons, the fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster confirms that sleep is not only good for skin and mood, but also for memory. American researchers at Florida Campus of The Scripps Research Institute published in the journal Cell that remembering and forgetting are two processes closely related, dependent on the activation or inactivation of […]
A mouse model for type B tyrosine hydroxilase deficiency
Tyrosine Hydroxylase Deficiency (THD) is an inborn error of dopamine synthesis. Around 70 cases of THD have been identified so far, with manifestations ranging from mild movement disorder to encephalopathy with parkinsonism. Based on the clinical signs observed, two main forms have been described. Type A has a more attenuated phenotype and it is normally […]
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