$2 million in total funds will accelerate interdisciplinary neurobiology research and scale up a search for new rules of human biochemistry.
Tag: Neuroscience
Five Cutting-edge Advances in Biomedical Engineering and Their Applications in Medicine
Bridging precision engineering and precision medicine to create personalized physiology avatars. Pursuing on-demand tissue and organ engineering for human health. Revolutionizing neuroscience by using AI to engineer advanced brain interface systems. Engineering the immune system for health and wellness. Designing and engineering genomes for organism repurposing and genomic perturbations.
How Does the Brain Make Decisions?
Mouse study provides insights into communication between neurons during decision-making
Nanomedicine paves the way for new treatments for spinal cord injury
A Study by Politecnico di Milano and Istituto Mario Negri has been published in Advanced Materials.
Are you depressed? Scents might help, new study says
Smelling a familiar scent can help depressed individuals recall specific autobiographical memories and potentially assist in their recovery, discovered a team of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers and UPMC social workers in a study published today in JAMA Network Open.
How the Brain’s Internal Compass Guides the Body
A study in fruit flies reveals how the brain’s compass and steering regions make course corrections
Researchers uncover potential non-opioid treatment for chronic pain
Among the most difficult types of pain to alleviate is neuropathic pain, pain that is usually caused by damage to nerves in various body tissues, including skin, muscle and joints.
University Hospitals Selected as Study Site for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) Study
University Hospitals has been selected by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program as one of four new study sites for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study.
Physicists overturn common assumptions regarding brain activity
For the last 75 years a core hypothesis of neuroscience has been that the basic computational element of the brain is the neuronal soma, where the long and ramified dendritic trees are only cables that enable them to collect incoming signals from its thousands of connecting neurons.
Unraveling the mysteries of the brain with the help of a worm
Do we really know how the brain works? In the last several decades, scientists have made great strides in understanding this fantastically complex organ. Scientists now know a great deal about the brain’s cellular neurobiology and have learned much about the brain’s neural connections, and the components that make up these connections.
Will machines soon be conscious?
The rise of the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) systems has led to the view that these systems might soon be conscious. However, we might underestimate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying human consciousness.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center is the First New Jersey Hospital Utilizing the Leading-Edge ARTIS icono Angiography Imaging System
The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently added the new Siemens Healthineers ARTIS icono biplane system to its interventional imaging services thanks to an extraordinarily generous gift from Mrs. Mary Ellen Harris and the Golden Dome Foundation.
Fluctuating blood pressure: a warning sign for dementia and heart disease
The link between high blood pressure and a range of health problems is well known, and Australian researchers have now found that fluctuating blood pressure can be just as risky and a potential precursor to dementia and vascular disease.
What makes us human? Detailed cellular maps of the entire human brain reveal clues
Scientists have just unveiled a massive effort to understand our own brains and those of our closest primate relatives.
Cellular Atlas of Amygdala Reveals New Treatment Target for Cocaine Addiction
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have used single-cell sequencing to identify a potential new treatment for cocaine addiction and shed new light on the molecular underpinnings of addiction.
Emily Rogalski joins UChicago to lead new center for healthy brain aging, Alzheimer’s and related diseases
The new University of Chicago Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Research Care (HAARC) Center will focus on building deep multidisciplinary expertise and bridging the gap between scientific disciplines to accelerate breakthroughs in cognitive resilience.
$50 million gift to expand health sciences research at Virginia Tech
The Richmond, Virginia-based Red Gates Foundation recently committed $50 million to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC to accelerate health sciences research at Virginia Tech. The gift is among the largest ever made to the university.
Using neuroscience to stop phantom braking
When customers began complaining that their vehicles with driver-assistance technologies were “phantom braking” or slamming on the brakes without any visible obstacles present, researchers at Michigan State University wanted to learn more about this phenomenon — why it happens and how to stop it.
Fundamental understanding of a molecule‘s normal function could inform treatments for a variety of brain disorders
John Chappell, a cardiovascular scientist in the Center for Vascular and Heart Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
Scientists discover a previously unknown way cells break down proteins
Short-lived proteins control gene expression in cells to carry out a number of vital tasks, from helping the brain form connections to helping the body mount an immune defense. These proteins are made in the nucleus and are quickly destroyed once they’ve done their job.
Sliman Bensmaia, leading expert on the neuroscience of touch, 1973-2023
Pioneering neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, Sliman Bensmaia helped develop prosthetic limbs that can restore a realistic sense of touch to amputees and paralyzed patients.
UTSW Q&A: Experts talk about opioid abuse, risks, treatment
Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription painkillers and synthetics like fentanyl, continue to rise.
Study identifies characteristics specific to human brains
Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified cellular and molecular features of the brain that set modern humans apart from their closest primate relatives and ancient human ancestors. The findings, published in Nature, offer new insights into human brain evolution.
Hormone alters electric fish’s signal-canceling trick
New research shows that the hormone testosterone — which naturally triggers male electric fish to elongate the electric pulses they send out during the breeding season — also alters a system in the fish’s brain that enables the fish to ignore its own electric signals.
Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute Now Using QuicktomeTM Brain Mapping Technology To Visualize Key Areas of the Brain Related To Speech and Other Key Functions During Complex Brain Surgery
Brain mapping technology now available for complex brain surgeries at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute.
NIH funds study of ultrasound with genetics to treat brain disorders
Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the brain.
UCI neuroscientists discover a novel inhibitory cortical neuron type that is implicated in neuropsychiatric conditions.
A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers working at the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping find links between brain disorders and dysfunction of newly identified inhibitory brain cell types.
Mount Sinai Fellow Salman E. Qasim, PhD, Awarded Prestigious Essay Prize From Lasker Foundation
The Lasker Foundation announced today that Salman E. Qasim, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is among five winners of its 10th annual Lasker Essay Contest.
A new sensor shows brain cells making and then breaking contact
Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) and the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences at Osaka University reported the development of a sensor to look at Pcdh interactions in live neurons, which brings us closer to understanding this mystery.
FAU Receives $11.5 Million Gift to Combat Life-threating Illness, Amyloidosis
Because amyloidosis doesn’t affect a specific organ and can be present throughout the body including the heart, kidneys, liver and brain, unraveling the underlying cause of amyloid fibril creation – a hallmark of this disease – is complex and challenging. A monumental $11.5 million gift from philanthropists Ann and John Wood will enable FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine to create a game-changing infrastructure using a whole-body approach and multi-disciplinary team.
$1.5 Million Donation Supports Research on Effects of Psychedelic DMT on the Brain
A gift of $1.5 million from Eugene Jhong will help launch a new research program within the UC San Diego Psychedelic and Health Research Initiative to learn more about the biological and psychological effects of DMT in humans.
That essential morning coffee may be a placebo
For many people, the day doesn’t start until their coffee mug is empty. Coffee is often thought to make you feel more alert, so people drink it to wake themselves up and improve their efficiency.
Chronic stress-related neurons identified
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a group of nerve cells in the mouse brain that are involved in creating negative emotional states and chronic stress.
Octopuses map their visual landscape much like humans do
An octopus devotes about 70 percent of its brain to vision. But until recently, scientists have only had a murky understanding of how these marine animals see their underwater world. A new University of Oregon study brings the octopus’s view into focus.
Study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization
A key challenge in neuroscience is to understand how the brain can adapt to a changing world, even with a relatively static anatomy.
Video games spark exciting new frontier in neuroscience
University of Queensland researchers have used an algorithm from a video game to gain insights into the behaviour of molecules within live brain cells.
Mount Sinai Health System to Lead Discussions on Women’s Health, New Paths to Treat and Prevent Brain Disease, and Closing the Health Disparity Gap at the 2023 Aspen Ideas: Health and Aspen Ideas Festival
Mount Sinai Health System experts will lead key discussions on women’s health, new paths to treat and prevent brain disease, and closing the gap on health disparities at this year’s Aspen Ideas: Health and Aspen Ideas Festival.
Deep-brain stimulation during sleep strengthens memory
This study provides provides the first physiological evidence from inside the human brain supporting the dominant scientific theory on how the brain consolidates memory during sleep. Further, deep-brain stimulation during a critical time in the sleep cycle appeared to improve memory consolidation.
Mount Sinai Researchers Identify Potential New Treatment for Those Who Act Out Their Dreams While Sleeping
Experts say medication commonly used to treat insomnia may also be a therapeutic option for the condition known as REM sleep behavior disorder
Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound
Some animals preserve energy and heat by going into torpor, during which body temperature and metabolic rate drop, similar to hibernation. WashU researchers have safely and noninvasively induced such a state in mice and rats using ultrasound. Their work could help people with health conditions and astronauts.
Running Throughout Middle Age Keeps ‘Old’ Adult-born Neurons ‘Wired’
A new study provides novel insight into the benefits of exercise, which should motivate adults to keep moving throughout their lifetime, especially during middle age. Long-term exercise profoundly benefits the aging brain and may prevent aging-related memory function decline by increasing the survival and modifying the network of the adult-born neurons born during early adulthood, and thereby facilitating their participation in cognitive processes.
“Second-Guessing” Is a Hard-Wired Behavior, Study Suggests
Have you ever made a decision that, in hindsight, seemed irrational? A new study with mice, which could have implications for people, suggests that some decisions are, to a certain extent, beyond their control. Rather, the mice are hard-wired to make them.
Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Between Students and Teachers Predicts Learning
Monitoring of students’ brain activity shows that brain-to-brain synchrony (or “getting on the same wavelength”) is predictive of learning outcomes.
Mind to molecules: Does brain’s electrical encoding of information ‘tune’ sub-cellular structure?
A new paper by researchers at MIT, City —University of London, and Johns Hopkins University posits that the electrical fields of the network influence the physical configuration of neurons’ sub-cellular components to optimize network stability and efficiency, a hypothesis the authors call “Cytoelectric Coupling.”
New study sheds light on complex genetics of autism in East African families
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified hundreds of genomic variants associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in East African families who have a markedly higher prevalence of the neurodevelopmental condition than other populations worldwide. The study, published in Cell Genomics, is the first to investigate the genetics of ASD in an African population, an important step toward decreasing racial and ethnic health disparities for this condition, the authors said.
Virginia Tech neuroscientist offers insight into how loneliness can affect health
Efforts are underway to address the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” affecting the country, as recently addressed by the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy who is laying out a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection” initiative. Virginia Tech neuroscientist Georgia Hodes says that reports of depression and anxiety are up at least 3-fold since the start of the COVID epidemic.
Women Have Less Age-related Decrease of Gray Matter in Brain than Men
Article title: Differential reduction of gray matter volume with age in 35 cortical areas in men (more) and women (less) Authors: Peka Christova and Apostolos P. Georgopoulos From the authors: “This study showed an overall decrease of cortical gray matter…
Air Pollution May Increase Risk of Dementia, Complicated by Genetics
UC San Diego researchers describe how exposure to ambient air pollution, such as car exhaust and power plant emissions — is associated with a measurably greater risk of developing dementia over time.
FAU and Insightec Partner to Use Focused Ultrasound to Treat Neurological Disorders
This agreement will enable FAU and Insightec to collaborate to advance scientific knowledge about the use of focused ultrasound to treat brain diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. By harnessing acoustic energy, Insightec’s innovative technology uses focused ultrasound to treat diseases in different ways.
Ground reaction force and moment estimation through EMG sensing using long short-term memory network during posture coordination
Imagine by only attaching a number of electromyography (EMG) sensors to your legs, your motion in the future several seconds can be predicted. Such a way of predicting motion via muscle states is an alternative to the mainstream visual cue-based motion prediction, which heavily relies on multi-view cameras to construct time-series posture. However, there is still a gap between muscle states and future movements.