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Cell-by-cell analysis uncovers 345 risk genes across six neuropsychiatric disorders

The emergence of neuropsychiatric disorders, conditions that affect various brain functions and behaviors, is known to be driven by an intricate combination of factors. These can include both a genetic predisposition and exposure to traumatic events or other external circumstances.

Over the past decades, many neuroscience studies have tried to shed light on the origins of different mental health disorders. However, the biological, cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning these disorders have not yet been clearly elucidated.

Researchers at Peking University Sixth Hospital and Peking University Institute of Mental Health recently analyzed genetic data collected from patients diagnosed with six different neuropsychiatric disorders, to better delineate the genes and cell types that contribute to their emergence. Their paper, published in Molecular Psychiatry, identifies 345 genes expressed in different types of cells that were linked to an increased risk of developing these disorders.

Metabolic inflammation at the adipose-brain axis

Adipose-brain axis in metabolic inflammation.

White adipose tissue (WAT) in addition to storing excess energy also releases cytokines, lipid mediators, adipokines, and extracellular vesicles that influence brain physiology.

The inflammatory mediators disrupt key brain interfaces, including the blood-brain barrier (BBB), perivascular and glymphatic clearance pathways, promoting endothelial dysfunction, altered astrocyte-pericyte support, impaired amyloid-b clearance, and region-specific glial activation.

In the brain, obesity-associated neuroinflammation leads to various neuronal dysfunction including cognition.

The authors discuss the role of adipokines in adipose-brain communication during obesity including how they contribute to neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction.

The authors also discuss therapeutic strategies targeting the adipose-brain axis, including exercise and dietary interventions and pharmacological approaches such as orlistat and incretin-based therapies. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/adipose-brain-axis


Scientists Develop New Antibody For Virus That Infects 95% of People

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the world’s most common viruses, thought to be lurking in 95 percent of adults. For most, it causes no obvious symptoms.

But EBV is more than a short-term infection.

Once it enters the body, EBV can stay for life, and it has been linked to several cancers, multiple sclerosis, and other severe health complications. Now, new research has given us a promising way to fight it.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Approaches Advance the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), represent a growing societal challenge due to their irreversible progression and significant impact on patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems. Despite advances in clinical and imaging-based diagnostics, these diseases are often detected at advanced stages, limiting the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Recent breakthroughs in genomic and transcriptomic technologies, including whole-genome sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and CRISPR-based screens, have revolutionized the field, offering new avenues for early diagnosis and personalized prognosis.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in cerebrovascular diseases

Opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, Ca2+ overload, and mitochondrial fragmentation are early features of stroke-induced brain injury observed in experimental models.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and activation of the cyclophilin D– reactive oxygen species–NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3–matrix metalloproteinase-9 axis are associated with intracranial aneurysm progression, linking mitochondrial stress to vascular wall instability.

Disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis exacerbates vascular pathology in intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, arteriovenous malformations, and cavernous malformation, indicating a shared mitochondrial contribution across cerebrovascular disorders.

Pharmacological modulation of mitochondrial permeability, redox signaling, proprotein convertase subtilisin/ kexin type 9, and mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase pathways shows robust preclinical efficacy, while clinical outcomes remain heterogeneous.

Experimental studies support the feasibility of mitochondrial transplantation in models of cerebrovascular injury, including stroke. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/Mito-dysfunction-in-CVD


Mitochondria are central regulators of cerebrovascular health through their control of energy metabolism, Ca2+ homeostasis, and redox signaling, and their dysfunction represents a convergent pathogenic mechanism across cerebrovascular diseases. In ischemic stroke, mitochondrial failure exacerbates neuronal injury via permeability transition pore opening, oxidative stress, and bioenergetic collapse, while altered mitochondrial dynamics and the release of mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns amplify neuroinflammation during reperfusion. Beyond stroke, mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to intracranial aneurysms, atherosclerotic stenosis, and vascular malformations, where oxidative stress, mitochondrial DNA instability, and cell type-specific metabolic reprogramming drive vascular remodeling and lesion progression.

World Science Festival

Does quantum mechanics actually imply that every possible outcome of every decision happens somewhere in an expansive reality? And if so, what does that mean for probability, free will, and our understanding of the universe itself?

Brian Greene sits down with David Deutsch, widely regarded as the father of quantum computing, to examine what many physicists are still reluctant to accept about their own theory. They explore why the many-worlds interpretation isn’t just a philosophical curiosity, what the wave function is really telling us about reality, and how decision theory may rescue probability in a fully deterministic multiverse. Deutsch also introduces constructor theory, his framework for rethinking the foundations of physics entirely and explains why the questions we’ve been trained not to ask might be the most important ones in all of science.

This program is part of the Rethinking Reality series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

Participant: David Deutsch.
Moderator: Brian Greene.

#worldsciencefestival #briangreene #cosmology #astrophysics.

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