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Category: neuroscience – Page 112

A new class of Alzheimer’s biomarkers: Why protein shape may beat protein levels

Researchers have identified a new type of blood-based biomarker test for Alzheimer’s disease that measures structural changes in proteins, providing more information on the underlying biology of the disease than standard blood tests. The findings, published in Nature Aging, also provide new insights into how Alzheimer’s disease biology may differ between males and females.

“This work introduces a fundamentally new, blood-based approach to detecting and staging Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA). “By revealing protein structural changes associated with genetic risk, symptom severity, and sex differences—features not captured by existing biomarkers—this research could enable earlier diagnosis and more effective clinical trials.”

Foundation AI model uses MRI data to predict multiple brain disorders

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are computational models that can learn to identify patterns in data, make accurate predictions or generate content (e.g., texts, images, videos or sound recordings). These models can reliably complete various tasks and are now also used to carry out research rooted in different fields.

Over the past few decades, some AI models have proved promising for the early diagnosis and study of specific diseases or neuropsychiatric conditions. For instance, by analyzing large amounts of brain scans collected using a noninvasive technique known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), AI could uncover patterns associated with tumors, strokes and neurodegenerative diseases, which could help to diagnose these conditions.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School and other institutes recently developed Brain Imaging Adaptive Core (BrainIAC), a large AI system pre-trained on a vast pool of MRI data that could be adapted to tackle different tasks. This foundation model, presented in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, was found to outperform many models that were trained to complete specific medical or neuroscience-related tasks.

Long-living wild mouse may hold secret to healthy aging

When it comes to health, some of our animal neighbors have extraordinary advantages. Ostriches, for example, are highly resistant to viruses, while sharks rarely develop cancer. And species like naked mole rats and bowhead whales live for astonishingly long periods of time, decades and centuries, respectively.

Researchers are now starting to understand why another species—the golden spiny mouse—seems to be unhindered by the negative health effects that typically accompany aging.

Reporting in Science Advances, researchers at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) have begun to uncover how this wild mouse, native to rocky deserts in the Middle East, resists physical, cognitive, and immunological decline while living six to seven times longer than other wild mice.

Varicella zoster virus and the central nervous system

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection causes varicella and herpes zoster and, rarely, severe central nervous system (CNS) complications, including encephalitis. Ogunjimi et al. review the evidence linking herpes zoster with stroke and dementia, summarize innate and adaptive immune responses to VZV-related CNS disease, and debate the consequences of vaccination.

These biological computers actually use neurons

In this video we look into one of the developing areas of computing: wetware. Most specifically neuromorphic computing, a science which uses actual neurons on chips.

We talk to Cortical labs, the company that developed the pong-playing dish brain, and professor Thomas Hartung to understand what the benefits of this technology are.

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Dorsal Amygdala Neurotrophin-3 Decreases Anxious Temperament in Primates

An early-life anxious temperament (AT) is a risk factor for the development of anxiety, depression, and comorbid substance abuse. We validated a nonhuman primate model of early-life AT and identified the dorsal amygdala as a core component of AT’s neural circuit. Here, we combine RNA sequencing, viral-vector gene manipulation, functional brain imaging, and behavioral phenotyping to uncover AT’s molecular substrates.

Neural Development

Neural development is the complex, lifelong process of forming and refining the nervous system, beginning with embryonic neurulation (neural tube formation) and continuing through maturation and remodeling.

The brain starts forming weeks after conception, with development continuing through childhood and adolescence.

Signaling molecules like Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and TGF-beta regulate this process.

Brain architecture is shaped by experiences and environmental factors.

Disruptions can cause neural tube defects like spina bifida.

Fore more information, click on the link below: https://sciencemission.com/Neural-Development

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