Aging appears to alter how key cerebellar neurons fire, with measurable effects on movement and coordination. Aging often brings slower movement, weaker balance, and reduced agility, but the brain changes behind these losses have been difficult to identify. McGill University researchers have now directly linked declining activity in Purkinje cells, an important type of neuron [...]

Controlling ribosomal RNA could help researchers target diseases driven by too little or too much protein production. Cells do not simply make proteins at a fixed pace. They continually adjust production to match their needs, and those changes can help determine whether a cell keeps dividing, adopts a specialized identity, or retains the developmental flexibility [...]