Some children with autism experience profound, lifelong difficulties like developmental delay, social struggles and even the inability to speak. Others experience more mild symptoms that improve with time.
Category: neuroscience – Page 126
The core theory, weak vs. strong emergence, micro-reductionism, and Sean Carroll’s skeptical argument against everything. Is Dr. Carroll correct in holding that physics has ruled out the afterlife, an immaterial soul, fundamental consciousness, and parapsychology?
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Sean Carroll speaking to the Freedom From Religion Foundation • Sean Carroll: Has Science Refuted Rel…
The Elemind headband is a soft, lightweight, and flexible wearable designed to be worn throughout the night, regardless of one’s sleeping position. It can collect information using brainwaves and pairs with a smartphone, where users can find details about their sleep patterns.
Where the headband is effective is its ability to use neuromodulation to impact the brainwaves, directing them from wakeful patterns to those of deeper sleep. “Elemind works like noise-cancellation for the brain. You can switch off the world, switch off the stress, and go to sleep faster,” explained Meredith Perry, the CEO and co-founder of Elemind.
Nick Lane discusses the emergence of consciousness as a result of mitochondrial action. Might consciousness arise from magnetic fields?Watch the full talk at…
Mentally stimulating activities and life experiences can improve cognition in memory clinic patients, but stress undermines this beneficial relationship. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
In the late 1980s, researchers discovered that some individuals who showed no apparent symptoms of dementia during their lifetime had brain changes consistent with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Since then it has been postulated that so-called cognitive reserve might account for this differential protective effect in individuals.
Cognitively stimulating and enriching life experiences and behaviors such as higher educational attainment, complex jobs, continued physical and leisure activities, and healthy social interactions help build cognitive reserve. However, high or persistent stress levels are associated with reduced social interactions, impaired ability to engage in leisure and physical activities, and an increased risk of dementia.
Neurotech device uses electrical stimulation to shift brainwave patterns, helping wearers fall asleep faster.
Scientists from Nagoya University in Japan have identified the role of serotonin neurons in linking glucose availability to reproductive health. Their research demonstrates how elevated glucose levels stimulate serotonergic neurons, leading to the release of serotonin, which in turn activates kisspeptin neurons responsible for reproductive hormone release. These findings explain why poor nutrition affects fertility and suggest potential treatments for depression-induced infertility through the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Credit: SciTechDaily.com.
Scientists from Nagoya University in Japan have clarified the connection between energy levels and fertility in both animals and humans. They discovered that signaling from serotonin neurons plays a crucial role in maintaining reproductive function by detecting glucose availability, which in turn enhances the release of the reproductive hormone gonadotropin. These findings also offer an explanation for the reduced fertility seen in individuals with depression and suggest potential treatments. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
People who lack sufficient nutrition encounter problems with their reproductive health. For example, ballet dancers can experience menstrual disruptions, and women who fast can struggle to conceive. According to a new study led by Designated Associate Professor Sho Nakamura and Professors Hiroko Tsukamura and Satoshi Ohkura, one of the main factors that affect a person’s reproductive health is glucose availability.
The study is based on the analysis of large studies involving tens of thousands of people, both with and without mental health conditions.
For decades, the study of genetic disease was focused on genes that code for protein. But scientists have now identified a novel neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by mutations in a gene that does not code for protein, called RNU4-2. These mutations lead to neurological symptoms that cause cognitive dysfunction, but have not previously been linked together as one disease. These findings have been reported in Nature Medicine.
In this work, the investigators analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from over 5,000 cases of intellectual disability and over 46,000 unaffected individuals. The research focused on unusual variations in the sequences of 41,132 genes that do not code for protein. The research revealed a gene that is apparently a common cause of neurodevleopmental problems. The scientists also determined that these mutations often arise spontaneously, and are not usually inherited from a parent.
The neurotransmitter dopamine has often been linked to pleasure-seeking behaviors and making stimuli paired with rewards (e.g., food, drinks) valuable. Nonetheless, the processes through which this key chemical messenger contributes to learning have not yet been fully elucidated.