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Category: neuroscience

A protein directs neuronal migration in the embryonic brain

During brain development, neurons can regulate their movement until they reach their final destination thanks to a “molecular switch” involving the protein Teneurin 4 (Ten4). This protein can guide neuronal migration through mutually exclusive molecular pathways and determine the direction of nerve cells.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control neuronal migration and offers new insights into how the brain develops at the molecular level.

The study combines advanced techniques — structural protein studies, gene editing in animal models and super-resolution microscopy — to broaden our understanding of the origins of neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric or neurological conditions —schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism, bipolar disorder, etc. — which may be linked to errors in neuronal migration.

Optogenetic mediated contractility enables reversible control of microglial morphology and migration in vivo

Biermeier et al. use live imaging in zebrafish to show that microglia alternate between distinct morphological states that support brain surveillance and phagocytosis. By optogenetically controlling cytoskeletal contractility, they demonstrate programmable, reversible control of microglial behavior in the living brain.

Versions of You in Other Universes May Be Subtly Affecting Your Destiny, Oxford Physicist Says

You may think you’re the protagonist of your own story. According to Oxford physicist Vlatko Vedral, however, you’re more like a puppet — whose strings are being pulled into a million parallel universes at any given time.

As Vedral argues in a recent issue of Popular Mechanics, the pop-sci version of the “observer effect” — where the act of observation or measurement affects a system — gets the cause-and-effect backward. The typical story goes something like this: quantum objects hang out in multiple states at once, until some observer glances over. At this point, the multiple states collapse and only one is left, an assumption that can lead various woo-woo interpretations, like that we create reality simply by observing it.

Physics, Verdal says, does not support that idea. That collapse effect isn’t a special power of human consciousness, but rather a fact of physics that says interactions — any interaction — forces a quantum system to commit to a definite state.

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a major cause of hemorrhagic stroke, a frequent contributor to age-related cognitive impairment, and a key component in adverse responses to beta-amyloid (Aβ) immunotherapy. Defined by pathological deposition of Aβ in the small blood vessels of the brain, cerebral amyloid angiopathy is most often diagnosed on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging studies showing multiple hemorrhages or leptomeningeal blood products within or overlying the cerebral cortex. The disorder typically manifests as hemorrhagic stroke or as a contributing factor to cognitive decline and, less commonly, with transient focal neurologic symptoms or a cerebral inflammatory autoimmune syndrome.

How brain cells compete to shape our minds from development to aging

In a recently published review, researchers led by Prof. Wu Qingfeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the ongoing process of neural cell competition (NCC), a fundamental mechanism that shapes the brain across the lifespan.

The review is published in National Science Review, and provides fresh insights into how continuously “compete” for survival and how this competition impacts brain development, wiring, function, and aging.

Although neural cell competition is widely recognized for its role during early , Prof. Wu’s team demonstrated that this process continues to be vital throughout life. They revealed that NCC not only helps maintain healthy brain function but also contributes to when disrupted.

A blood-brain barrier-like vascular gate limits immunotherapy efficacy in neuroendocrine cancers

A blood-brain barrier-like vascular gate in small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine cancers blocks immune cells and drives resistance to immunotherapy. Targeting the proteins IGF1R or IGFBP5 boosts CD8+ T cell infiltration and enhances anti-PD1 therapy.

When nerve cells form new connections: approach to treating spinal cord injuries developed

In a mouse model, a new approach has led to the formation of new neural connections in the injured spinal cord, partially restoring lost function. However, further steps and studies are needed before potential treatments can be developed for humans

Parkinson’s Patient Moves Freely Again After World-First Imp

Parkinson’s patient Thomas Matsson was the first in the world to receive 7 million lab-grown brain cells in 2023. Today, he can smell and play sports.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have successfully implanted 7 million lab-grown brain cells into a patient to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Swedish resident Thomas Matsson was the first in the world to test the method about a year ago.

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