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UrduWhen you slip into sleep, it’s easy to imagine that your brain shuts down, but University of Michigan research suggests that groups of neurons activated during prior learning keep humming, tattooing memories into your brain.
Tag: Neuroscience
First-in-Human Clinical Trial to Assess Gene Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease
UC San Diego researchers have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment, a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center Named a Top 250 Best Hospital in the Nation
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center was recently recognized as one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals™, according to a national study by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.
Study shows how some neurons compensate for death of their neighbors
By studying several neuron pairs that innervate distinct muscles in a fruit fly model, researchers found that some neurons compensate for the loss of a neighboring partner.
Small ‘window of opportunity’ for best recovery after stroke
An international study has shown, for the first time, that the capacity of the human brain to recover and rewire itself peaks around two weeks after a stroke and diminishes over time.
Evidence shows how the human brain may tap into visual cues when lacking a sense of touch
Researchers at the University of Chicago, the University of Birmingham, and Bournemouth University have uncovered evidence that physical embodiment can occur without the sense of touch, thanks to a study involving two participants who lack the ability to feel touch.
UTEP Professor’s Study May Lead to Solutions for Overeating
The 10-member team made discoveries about a specific area of the brain tied to recollection and the desire to seek and consume food. It could lead to a way to inhibit the desire to overeat.
Tip Sheet: COVID-19 vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 mutations, shedding pandemic pounds – and nematode nerve cells
SEATTLE —Feb. 4, 2021 —Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch research findings and other news with links for additional background and media contacts.We are looking forward to the Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings, to be held online Feb. 8-12. Read highlights of Fred Hutch research to be presented, including on COVID-19 and cancer and new insights on treating graft-vs.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center Named a Top 100 Best Hospital for Stroke Care
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center was recently recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care and received the Neurosciences Excellence Award for 2021, according to a national study by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. The academic medical center is one of only three hospitals in New Jersey that received recognition as a Best Hospital for Stroke Care.
Even after long-term exposure, bionic touch does not remap the brain
A new study of people with amputations who used a bionic hand for over one year highlights future challenges for developing realistic prosthetic devices
Virginia Tech researchers uncover mechanisms that wire the brain’s cerebral cortex
A research team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has identified the type of brain cell that produces a protein that is crucial for the formation of inhibitory circuits in the brain. This insight could one day help scientists establish the basis for developing new drugs that mature or repair cellular networks.
NIH researchers discover brain area crucial for recognizing visual events
Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) report that a brain region in the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS) is crucial for processing and making decisions about visual information.
Sensing Sickness
Researchers have identified neurons that regulate nausea-like responses in mice. When these neurons are experimentally turned on, nausea-like responses can be activated regardless of exposure to nausea-triggering substances. Without these neurons, nausea-like responses to poisons are lost.
How neurons form long-term memories
Harvard Medical School neuroscientists have discovered genes that memory neurons use to rewire connections after new experiences. The findings shed light on the biology of long-term memory, with implications for new approaches to intervene when memory deficits occur with age or disease.
Go Inside the Most Innovative Minds in Science and Medicine on “Real, Smart People,” a New Podcast
Podcast from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers a glimpse into the real story of how science and medicine moves forward, one smart person at a time.
Circadian Gene Mutation Increases Self-Administration of Cocaine in Mice
University of Pittsburgh researchers reveal a molecular basis for the deep and fundamental connection between the disruption in circadian rhythms and predisposition to substance abuse.
Rock-a-bye fly: Why Vibrations Lead to Sleepiness
Researchers discover that gentle vibration can induce sleep in flies through a simple form of learning.
Virginia Tech researchers show teens with risk-averse peers make safer choices
In a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Virginia Tech neuroscientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC show that observing peers making sound decisions may help young people play it safe. The discovery may one day inform measures to help teens make healthy decisions.
Scientists Identify Brain Cells that Help Drive Bodily Reaction to Fear, Anxiety
This research helps illuminate the neural roots of emotions, and points to the possibility that a population of arousal-related neurons might be a target of future treatments for anxiety disorders and other illnesses involving abnormal arousal responses.
Jerold Chun among world’s most highly cited researchers
Jerold Chun, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and senior vice president at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, has been named a “Highly Cited Researcher” by Clarivate, the global analytics company. The honor recognizes researchers who have demonstrated a significant influence in their chosen field of study through the publication of multiple works that have been cited by their peers.
New Grant Seeks to Fill Knowledge Gaps Regarding Spina Bifida
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $8.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the causes of spina bifida, the most common structural defect of the central nervous system.
Motor neural population activity patterns are different for reach and grasp behaviors
A new study from researchers at the University of Chicago has found that neuronal population dynamics in the motor cortex are very different during reaching and grasping behavior, challenging a popular theory that indicated intrinsic, dynamic patterns control motor behaviors.
Envision color: Activity patterns in the brain are specific to the color you see
Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have decoded brain maps of human color perception. The findings, published today in Current Biology, open a window into how color processing is organized in the brain, and how the brain recognizes and groups colors in the environment. The study may have implications for the development of machine-brain interfaces for visual prosthetics. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Center for Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery Celebrates its 500th Phrenic Nerve Reconstruction Patient
After receiving corrective shoulder surgery in February 2019, John Neumaier, M.D., Ph.D., began experiencing shortness of breath and later was diagnosed with diaphragm paralysis. Determined to continue his active lifestyle he searched for a solution to treat his paralysis and improve his breathing. The Seattle resident found Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s Center for Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery and Surgeon Matthew Kaufman, M.D., FACS.
Protein in blood may predict prognosis, recovery from stroke
Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida and collaborators have found that a biomarker in the blood may determine the extent of brain injury from different types of strokes and predict prognosis in these patients. Their findings are reported in Science Translational Medicine.
Study Provides First Evidence of a Relationship between a Bird’s Gut and its Brain
A study of the relationships between cognition and the gut microbiome of captive zebra finches showed that their gut microbiome characteristics were related to performance on a cognitive assay where they learned a novel foraging technique. Researchers also identified potentially critical bacteria that were relatively more abundant in birds that performed better on this assay. This correlation provides some of the first evidence of a relationship between a bird’s gut microbiome and its brain.
Mayo Clinic contributes to diagnostic, therapeutic advance for rare neurodegenerative disorder
Mayo Clinic researchers, along with national and global collaborators, have developed a potential test for Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) ― a disease that has no cure. They also have clarified the role of a gene target associated with the disease.
Can Gene Editing and Gene Therapy Techniques Combine to Treat Angelman Syndrome?
Babies born with a faulty maternal copy of the UBE3A gene will develop a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with no cure and limited treatments. Now, scientists show that gene editing/gene therapy techniques can be used to restore UBE3A in human neuron cultures and treat deficits in an animal model.
The high-tech evolution of scientific computing: A slight return
To leverage emerging computing capabilities and prepare for future exascale systems, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is expanding its scope beyond traditional simulation-based research to include data science and machine learning approaches.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center Opens Center for Advanced Skull Base Surgery
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently opened the Center for Advanced Skull Base Surgery, providing treatment for adults and children with tumors and other abnormalities of the cranial base.
New material senses neurotransmitters in the brain
Scientists have developed a new material that can sense glutamate in the brain, and may lead to new tools to combat neurological disorders.
Poor Cognitive Performance Predicts Impairment in Activities of Daily Living Years Later
Subtle differences in cognition may help identify individuals at risk for becoming dependent years later upon others to complete daily activities, such as managing medications or finances and other essential activities.
Spinal Cord Stimulation Reduces Pain and Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
A team of researchers in the United States and Japan reports that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) measurably decreased pain and reduced motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, both as a singular therapy and as a “salvage therapy” after deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies were ineffective.
2020 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists Honorees Announced during National Postdoc Appreciation Week
The winning postdoctoral researchers include a neuroscientist improving memory formation and recall, an astrophysicist illuminating dark matter, and a biochemist refining gene-editing technologies
Mapping Cavefish Brains Leads to Neural Origin of Behavioral Evolution
While studied for nearly a century, little is known about how cavefish brains differ. A study is the first to look inside their brains with millimeter resolution to start to understand how the individual neurons and brain regions that drive complex behaviors, including sleep and feeding have evolved. This work has broad implications for the understanding of how brains evolve in many different animal models and is hoped to be widely used by the scientific community.
Concussion discovery reveals dire, unknown effects of even mild brain injury
Even mild concussions cause severe and long-lasting impairments in the brain’s ability to clean itself, and this may seed it for Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurodegenerative problems.
Study Suggests Unconscious Learning Underlies Belief in God
Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who creates patterns of events in the universe, according to neuroscientists at Georgetown University.
Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center Appoints Robert F. Heary Medical Director of Spine Program
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey (September 8, 2020) – Mountainside Medical Center has announced that Robert. F. Heary will take on the new role as Medical Director of the Spine Program. In this new role, Dr. Heary will oversee the Montclair Spine Center at Mountainside Medical Center to ensure the organization and delivery of excellent, timely, evidence-based care.
Hormone Influences Male Songbirds’ Song Choice
Article title: Regulation of vocal precision by noradrenergic modulation of a motor nucleus Authors: Zachary P. Sheldon, Christina B. Castelino, Christopher M. Glaze, Steve P. Bibu, Elvina Yau, Marc F. Schmidt From the authors: “We show in the songbird that…
Guilt by Dissociation: Study Sheds Light on Serotonin in Autism
A study on serotonin, a mood-regulating molecule in the brain that regulates many brain synapses, is helping to unravel the puzzle surrounding its role in autism. The activity and regulation of the serotonin transporter (SERT), protein is critically dependent on a number of other proteins that tell the protein where to locate on nerve cells and how to act. Shifts in the transporter’s activity can significantly impact the ability of serotonin to act in the brain.
Strokes in babies are surprisingly common. Here’s how the body rushes to the rescue.
New research is shedding light on the development of the brain’s immune defenses – and how those defenses respond to strokes that strike one in 4,000 babies in the first month of life.
Which OCD treatment works best? New brain study could lead to more personalized choices
New research could improve the odds that people with obsessive-compulsive disorder will receive a therapy that really works for them – something that eludes more than a third of those who currently get OCD treatment. The study suggests the possibility of predicting which of two types of therapy will help people with OCD: One that exposes them to the subject of their obsessive thoughts and behaviors, or one that focuses on stress reduction and problem-solving.
Three Women Scientists at Johns Hopkins Tapped to Join Exclusive Research Network
Three Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists are among the first 45 members selected to join the 10x Genomics Visium Clinical Translational Research Network (CTRN), aimed at advancing translational research in some of the world’s leading health problems, including oncology, immuno-oncology, neuroscience, infectious disease, inflammation and fibrosis, and COVID-19.
Pinpointing The Cells That Keep The Body’s Master Circadian Clock Ticking
DALLAS – Aug. 7, 2020 – UT Southwestern scientists have developed a genetically engineered mouse and imaging system that lets them visualize fluctuations in the circadian clocks of cell types in mice. The method, described online in the journal Neuron, gives new insight into which brain cells are important in maintaining the body’s master circadian clock. But they say the approach will also be broadly useful for answering questions about the daily rhythms of cells throughout the body.
New Study on Development of Parkinson’s Disease is ‘On the Nose’
Scientists suggest that the initial impact of environmental toxins inhaled through the nose may induce inflammation in the brain, triggering the production of Lewy bodies that can then be spread to other brain regions. However, the relationship linking olfactory dysfunction and Parkinson’s disease development remains unclear. New findings from a study add weight to this theory and identify a critical signaling molecule that may be key to the domino effect kicked off by nasal inflammation.
NSF Grants $1.24M for Project Working to Answer a Fundamental Neuroscience Question
Neuroscientist at the University at Albany will research how different types of memories are formed and stored at different times of the day, and how they are modified by different types of cells
Baylor Scott & White Health Again Recognized as Most Awarded Not-for-profit Health System in Texas by U.S. News & World Report
In the midst of the extraordinary health challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Baylor Scott & White Health remains committed to quality, safe care and helping Texas communities navigate the uncertainty of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Today, this commitment to safety and quality is recognized as U.S. News & World Report releases its 2020-2021 Best Hospitals list.
Vision loss in children whose eyesight may be 20/20 requires new diagnostic and teaching strategies
Cerebral (cortical) visual impairment (CVI) is a condition that interferes with the ability of the brain to process information from the eyes, and it has become a leading cause of visual impairment in the U.S.
Learning The Wiring Diagram For Autism Spectrum Disorders
DALLAS – July 14, 2020 – A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified brain circuitry that plays a key role in the dysfunctional social, repetitive, and inflexible behavioral differences that characterize autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The findings, published online this week in Nature Neuroscience, could lead to new therapies for these relatively prevalent disorders.
Monell Scientist Receives 2020 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neuroscience
Amber Alhadeff, PhD, the newest faculty member at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, has been awarded a 2020 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neurosciences, totaling $225,000 over three years.