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Neuralink to recruit people with paralysis for first human trials

Past tests have been conducted on pigs.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk’s Neuralink announced it was ready to start its first human trials. “We are happy to announce that we’ve received approval from the reviewing independent institutional review board and our first hospital site to begin recruitment for our first-in-human clinical trial,” noted a blog on the company’s website.

The PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) – a groundbreaking investigational medical device trial for our fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for… More.


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We are happy to announce that we’ve received approval from the reviewing independent institutional review board and our first hospital site to begin recruitment for our first-in-human clinical trial, noted a blog on the company’s website.

Exploring the mind-mitochondria connection

As befits the child of a scientist, Martin Picard’s young son, 3, is already learning about biology with an age-appropriate textbook, “Cell Biology for Babies.” Picard winces a little whenever the book calls mitochondria the “powerhouses of the cell” but figures he has plenty of time as his son grows older to explain why the tiny organelles are much more than simple energy sources.

Picard is a leading proponent of mitochondrial psychobiology (a phrase he coined), an emerging field that examines how psychological states like stress influence mitochondrial functions, which in turn influence mental and physical health.

“The powerhouse analogy is outdated and one-dimensional and can impede science by limiting researchers’ perceptions of what mitochondria can do,” says Picard, associate professor of behavioral medicine in psychiatry and neurology.

How AI can help us understand how cells work—and help cure diseases

A virtual cell modeling system, powered by AI, will lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of diseases, argue the cofounders of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

As the smallest living units, cells are key to understanding disease—and yet so much about them remains unknown. We do not know, for example, how billions of biomolecules—like DNA, proteins, and lipids—come together to act as one cell. Nor do we know how our many types of cells interact within our bodies. We have limited understanding of how cells, tissues, and organs become diseased and what it takes for them to be healthy.

AI can help us answer these questions and apply that knowledge to improve health and well-being worldwide—if… More.

Artificial womb human trials may soon inch closer to reality

CHOP researchers established the feasibility of an artificial womb called the “Biobag” to nurture a premature lamb in 2017.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a meeting of independent advisors on September 19–20. The meeting’s agenda is to discuss the viability of clinical trials using artificial womb technology to improve the survival and health of extremely preterm newborns.

Reportedly, during this meeting, regulators and experts will delve into ethical concerns and evaluate various crucial aspects, including the potential steps and design of human trials for this technology.

How Our GENES Listen To Our Beliefs: Heal The Body & Prevent Disease | Dr. Bruce Lipton

Get my FREE guide 3 Steps to Reverse Aging when you sign up for my weekly health picks 👉 https://bit.ly/IncreaseHealthspan.

There is powerful science behind how our beliefs inform our genetic expression. It’s not our genes alone that dictate our health outcomes, rather it’s the biology of belief that determines our destiny.

Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m excited to talk to Dr. Bruce Lipton about how exactly our thoughts determine our genetic expression, and how we can influence our health using our minds.

Dr. Bruce Lipton is a stem cell biologist and author of the bestselling books, The Biology of Belief, Spontaneous Evolution, and The Honeymoon Effect. Dr. Lipton is the recipient of the prestigious Japanese Goi Peace Award and has been listed in the top 100 of “the world’s most spiritually influential people” by Briton’s Watkins Journal for the last 13 years.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, BiOptimizers, LMNT, and Apollo.

Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 3,000 specialty lab tests from over 35 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at https://RupaHealth.com.

Exposure to plasticizers in pregnancy associated with smaller volumetric measures in the brain and lower IQ in children

Children whose mothers had a higher exposure to certain phthalates during pregnancy tend to show smaller total gray matter in their brains at age 10. This is one of the main conclusions of a study led by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), and published in Molecular Psychiatry.

The study also found that to plasticizers during pregnancy is associated with lower child IQ at age 14, which confirmed the results of two previous study on the topic. Moreover, the research team observed that this relationship between exposure to certain phthalates and lower child IQ is partially influenced by total gray matter volumes. In other words: exposure to plasticizers before birth could lead to smaller total gray matter in childhood, which in turn could be related to a lower IQ.

Finally, the results showed an association between gestational exposure to plasticizers and smaller white matter volumes in girls.

Traumatic brain injury under-recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, says new study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term disability and premature death, especially among military personnel and those playing contact sports. Substantial research has examined acute and chronic neurological consequences of TBI; however, non-neurological conditions associated with TBI are understudied.

A new review paper by investigators from Mass General Brigham presents key findings on long-term associations between TBI and cardiovascular disease, highlighting that nervous system dysfunction, neuroinflammation, changes in the brain-gut connection, and post-injury comorbidities may elevate risk of both cardiovascular and cognitive dysfunction in TBI survivors compared to the .

The review, published in The Lancet Neurology, emphasizes the need for future cardiovascular research, surveillance and intervention in TBI survivors.