Study reveals detailed view of brain protein structure

A new study has unveiled a detailed view of the protein structures found within the brain.

Dr Reinhard Grisshammer, a scientist at the National Institute of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and an author of the study published in Nature, stated the findings of the report could improve knowledge of how the peptide binds to its receptor and should help scientists design better drugs.

The specialist and his colleagues used X-ray crystallography in order to show what the receptor looks like in atomic detail when it is bound to neurotensin.

More work is needed in a bid to fully understand the detailed signalling mechanism of this study, said Dr Grisshammer, who collaborated with a group led by Dr Christopher Tate of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.

Last month, scientists in Germany advanced their understanding of memory and learning processes in a new study, which could hold potential for understanding the effects of dementia on the ability of patients to learn new information and remember events.

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