Neuroscience

Parkinson's disease affects the nervous system which controls movement. Damage to the levels of dopamine in the brain impairs the ability to relay messages to parts of the body which control movement. While the exact cause of the disease is unknown, researchers are examining genetic causes linked to the LRRK2 gene and environmental factors.

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The auditory process involves several structures of the ear to convert sound waves into information that is processed by our brain. Learn more about the auditory process in our infographic below. Novus Biologicals offers reagents mentioned in the infographic including:

Vision involves several parts of the eye processing light which send signals to the brain via the optic nerve to process information. Learn more about the vision process and related ocular proteins in the infographic below.

Novus Biologicals offers research reagents mentioned in this infographic including:

Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal esterase-L1 (UCHL1), or gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), belongs to a gene family that hydrolyzes small C-terminal adducts of ubiquitin to generate the monomers. The expression of UCHL1/PGP9.5 is highly specific to neurons and to cells of the diffuse neuroendocrine system as well as their tumors, and has been linked to neurodegenerative disease in humans.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the NGF family of neurotrophins. During development it regulates the survival and differentiation of neuronal cell populations in the central and peripheral nervous system, while in adult synapses it is a major regulator of development, plasticity and transmission.