Autoimmune diseases, where the body’s own immune system mistakenly goes on the attack, are much more common in women – and a new study analyzing more than 1.25 million blood cells goes a long way to explaining why.
The analysis, led by a team from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia, revealed over 1,000 genetic ‘switches’ in immune cells that work differently depending on sex.
In short, these variations in gene activity mean that inflammatory pathways that respond to threats are likely to be busier in women, leading to a greater risk of conditions like lupus and multiple sclerosis.
College students with anxiety, depression and eating disorders may be more likely to start and to respond more positively to therapy offered via a digital app compared to referrals to in-person campus clinics, according to a study led by Penn State researchers and published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Globally, an estimated 40% to 60% of college students experience a mental health disorder at some point, and the need for campus counseling services has increased faster than institutions’ capacity to provide these services, according to the researchers.
The research team wanted to see if a proactive intervention using a digital therapy app could effectively treat anxiety disorders, depression and eating disorders, as well as address the increased need for psychological services.
A recent study using advanced cell mapping shows that lithium chloride changes the activity of multiple enzymes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. These findings could help researchers design safer, more effective treatments for cognitive decline and dementia.
Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Cognitive Neuroscientist at the University of California San Francisco, explores the latest research on the interaction between the brain and technology.
This presentation is clipped from a virtual keynote Jeff was invited to give on December 16.Numenta technology is built on the Thousand Brains Theory, our se…
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” — Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2
The two hemispheres of our brain collaborate to produce a coherent understanding of the world—at least, that’s what they’re supposed to do. In his groundbreaking book, The Master and His Emissary, neuro-philosopher and psychiatrist, Iain McGilchrist, proposed that our culture has been captured by the left hemisphere, whose dogmatic, technical and irrational way of processing information leads it to manifestly dangerous conclusions about the way the world works. Importantly, the left hemisphere never changes its mind.
In one of the widest conversations on Planet: Critical to date, Iain explains how we came to lose sight of the bigger picture by forsaking the intuition, creativity and intelligence of the right hemisphere. We discuss how our relationship to language makes and unmakes the world, the search for meaning, human agency, relationality, morality, art and the divine, with Iain clearly spelling out a path to human fulfilment—which may very well be the only thing which can save Earth from the worst of us.
New research using humanized mouse models has finally pulled back the curtain on how these small-molecule drugs work in the brain, revealing that they don’t just tell the body it’s full—they actually change how we perceive “treats.”
1. The Homeostatic Circuit: This is the body’s fuel gauge. It involves the hypothalamus and hindbrain, which manage basic hunger and energy levels. It’s the circuit that tells you, “I’ve had enough calories for today.”
These new weight-loss pills do more than just settle your stomach; they speak directly to the brain’s reward center to help quiet the “food noise” that leads to overeating.
This is a “proof of concept” study. It proves the mechanism exists, but it doesn’t yet guarantee that a pill will be a side-effect-free “cure” for overeating in humans.
Humanized glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) mouse models are used to investigate the neural circuitry through which small-molecule GLP1R agonists modulate feeding, with implications for how these orally delivered weight-loss drugs engage brain reward circuits.
Neurodegenerative disorders entail a progressive loss of neurons in cerebral and peripheral tissues, coupled with the aggregation of proteins exhibiting altered physicochemical properties. Crucial to these conditions is the gradual degradation of the central nervous system, manifesting as impairments in mobility, aberrant behaviors, and cognitive deficits. Mechanisms such as proteotoxic stress, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and programmed cell death contribute to the ongoing dysfunction and demise of neurons. Presently, neurodegenerative diseases lack definitive cures, and available therapies primarily offer palliative relief. The integration of nanotechnology into medical practices has significantly augmented both treatment efficacy and diagnostic capabilities.
