News

News

• Cause of congenital nystagmus found Sep 12, 2019

  Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience researchers have overturned the long held view that congenital nystagmus, a condition where eyes make repetitive involuntary movements, is a brain disorder by showing that its cause is actually retinal. Deficits in just a few proteins involved in one of the retina’s earliest light-signal processing steps result in the eye sending an erroneous movement signal to the brain rhythmically.

• Not all lakes are alike: spatial differences key to successful restoration Jul 16, 2019

  Degradation of lakes is a worldwide problem, with symptoms including toxic algae blooms. Restoration is possible, but takes a lot of time and effort. To determine what approach is most effective, spatial differences between lakes must be considered, argues a NIOO-led team of researchers in Science of The Total Environment. It's a factor that had been largely neglected until now.

• REM sleep silences the siren of the brain Jul 11, 2019

  Upset by something unpleasant? We have all been there. Fortunately, it also passes. A new day, a new beginning. At least: if you have restful REM sleep. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience discovered why you will be better able to bear tomorrow what you are distressed about today. And why that can go wrong.

• Survey of research methods in the neurosciences Jun 27, 2019

  In its advisory report Transition to non-animal research, the Netherlands National Committee for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes concludes that the possibilities for substantially reducing the use of animals in science vary considerably per research domain.