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Compared to healthy volunteers, affected U.S. government personnel did not exhibit MRI-detectable brain injury or biological abnormalities that would explain symptoms.

Using advanced imaging techniques and in-depth clinical assessments, a research team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found no significant evidence of MRI-detectable brain injury, nor differences in most clinical measures compared to controls, among a group of federal employees who experienced anomalous health incidents (AHIs).

These incidents, including hearing noise and experiencing head pressure followed by headache, dizziness, cognitive dysfunction, and other symptoms, have been described in the news media as “Havana Syndrome” since U.S. government personnel stationed in Havana first reported the incidents. Scientists at the NIH Clinical Center conducted the research over the course of nearly five years and published their findings on March 18 in two papers in JAMA.

Convulsions developed due to temperatures above 38°C (100.4°F) are termed as febrile seizures (FS). These seizures are not caused by any central nervous system infections (CNS) or any metabolic abnormalities. Essentially, it occurs in individuals without a prior history of afebrile seizures [1]. It is the most commonly observed seizure type in children under five years of age [1]. Roughly one-third of children who have one FS may experience a second. Among children with simple FS, 1% to 2% may develop epilepsy. In contrast, those with complex FS have a higher risk, with 6% to 8% later being diagnosed with epilepsy [2].

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are pervasive on a global scale. Roughly 30% to 40% of people worldwide suffer from IDA, with the majority residing in developing nations [3]. IDA has stood as the primary contributor to the healthcare burden in India over the last 10 years [4]. Iron deficiency can adversely affect the developing brain in multiple ways. It can impair hippocampal neuron growth and disrupt the myelination process, which insulates nerve fibers for efficient signaling. This deficiency can also impact the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as monoamines and aldehyde oxidase, resulting in lower neurotransmitter levels and a potential decrease in the seizure threshold. Moreover, low serum ferritin levels in conjunction with fever can compound the adverse effects on the brain, potentially leading to seizures [5]. Notably, it’s worth mentioning that the peak ages for FS and IDA coincide [5]. While certain studies identified a link between FS and anemia resulting from iron deficiency [6–16], other research yielded divergent findings [17–20]. The primary objective of this study is to find the association between IDA and FS in children by doing a systematic review of the literature of the last 10 years. The secondary objective is to understand the significance of the iron profile in FS.

This study is a systematic review done in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Memory, or the ability to store information in a readily accessible way, is an essential operation in computers and human brains. A key difference is that while brain information processing involves performing computations directly on stored data, computers shuttle data back and forth between a memory unit and a central processing unit (CPU). This inefficient separation (the von Neumann bottleneck) contributes to the rising energy cost of computers.

MONDAY, March 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — In people with type 1 diabetes, fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect thinking skills in various ways, new research shows.

Researchers looked specifically at what’s known as cognitive processing speed (how fast people process incoming information) and attention.

“Our results demonstrate that people can differ a lot from one another in how their brains are impacted by glucose,” said study co-senior author Laura Germine.

Year 2023 😗😁

Famed musician and former Elon Musk boo Claire “Grimes” Boucher wanted a brain-computer interface (BCI) for her birthday — and one of Neuralink’s apparent competitors was happy to comply.

After Grimes tweeted about getting a “non invasive brain computer interface” for her birthday, AJ Keller, the CEO of the startup Neurosity, confirmed in an interview with Insider that his firm had indeed made a custom brain gadget for the “Kill V. Maim” singer.

Continue reading “Grimes Using Custom Brain Interface From Elon Musk Competitor” »

Summary: Adolescents engaging in “transcendent thinking”—the practice of looking beyond the immediate context to understand deeper meanings and implications—can significantly influence their brain development. The study highlights how this complex form of thinking fosters coordination between the brain’s executive control and default mode networks, crucial for psychological functioning.

Analyzing high school students’ responses to global teen stories, researchers found that transcendent thinking not only enhances brain network coordination over time but also predicts key psychosocial outcomes in young adulthood. These groundbreaking findings underline the potential of civically minded education in supporting adolescents’ cognitive and emotional development.

In the first clinical trial of a targeted pharmacologic therapeutic for mild traumatic brain injury in pediatric patients, scientists from the Minds Matter Concussion Frontier Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found preliminary evidence that adolescents and young adults with concussion who take a specific formulation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements after injury experience faster symptom reduction and return to physical activity.

Two new treatments for Alzheimer’s – lecanemab and donanemab – have been hailed as breakthroughs. In reality, they will have little effect.

Johns Hopkins researchers have found genes associated with an important placental function tied to schizophrenia risk.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that genes associated with schizophrenia risk may impact the placenta, not just the brain.