Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers have succeeded in restoring lost brain function in mouse models of stroke using small molecules that in the future could potentially be developed into a stroke recovery therapy. “Communication between nerve cells in large parts of the brain changes after a stroke and we show that it can be partially restored with the treatment,” says Tadeusz Wieloch, senior professor of neurobiology at Lund University in Sweden.

“Concomitantly, the rodents regain lost somatosensory functions, something that around 60 per cent of all stroke patients experience today. The most remarkable result is that the treatment began several days after a stroke,” Wieloch continues.

In an ischemic stroke, lack of blood flow to the brain causes damage, which rapidly leads to nerve cell loss that affects large parts of the vast network of nerve cells in the brain.

Memories may affect how well the brain will learn about future events by shifting our perceptions of the world.

Abstract. Individual differences in the spatial organization of resting-state networks have received increased attention in recent years. Measures of individual-specific spatial organization of brain networks and overlapping network organization have been linked to important behavioral and clinical traits and are therefore potential biomarker targets for personalized psychiatry approaches. To better understand individual-specific spatial brain organization, this paper addressed three key goals. First, we determined whether it is possible to reliably estimate weighted (non-binarized) resting-state network maps using data from only a single individual, while also maintaining maximum spatial correspondence across individuals. Second, we determined the degree of spatial overlap between distinct networks, using test-retest and twin data.

In this episode of the Lifespan podcast, Dr. David Sinclair and co-host Matthew LaPlante dissect the topic of brain aging. They explore evidence suggesting that the brain ages more slowly than other parts of the body and highlight how cognitive function is impacted by aging. Different interventions aimed at preserving brain health are also discussed, including a plant-based diet, exercise, metformin, NAD boosters, and sufficienh #Wellness #DavidSinclair #Longevity #BrainHealth #Healthspan

A recent study by European scientists shows that highly sensitive sensors based on color centers in a diamond can be used to record electrical activity from neurons in living brain tissue. The work is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Before people encounter symptoms of brain diseases such as dementia, slight changes have usually occurred already in the brain tissue. It may be that parts of the brain are swelling up or clumps of proteins are forming. These small changes might influence how nerve cells in the brain signal each other and communicate, how information is processed and memorized.

Medical scientists want to study these minor changes that occur in the very early stages of a disease. That way, the intention is to learn more about the causes of the disease to provide new insights and more efficient treatments. Today, microscopic studies on the brain are performed with one of two strategies: Optical inspection of brain tissue samples from animals or deceased patients that suffer from the studied disease or measurements of the signals from the nerve cells using wires, coloring, or light.

The results of the clinical trial were published Dec. 4 in Nature Medicine.

More than 5 million Americans live with the lasting effects of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury — difficulty focusing, remembering and making decisions. Though many recover enough to live independently, their impairments prevent them from returning to school or work and from resuming their social lives.

Exploring some reasons for rejecting the realist view of phenomenal consciousness. The course is organized by the Moscow Center for Consciousness Studies / ht…

Summary: A new study identified the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) as a central regulator in the brain’s inhibitory control circuit.

Using dynamic causal modeling and fMRI on a sample of 250 participants, the study reveals that the rIFG significantly influences the caudate nucleus and thalamus during response inhibition tasks. This research also shows gender differences in brain function: women have distinct neural patterns in the thalamus, and overall, better inhibitory control correlates with stronger neural communication from the thalamus to the rIFG.

These findings provide valuable insights for developing neuromodulation therapies for mental and neurological disorders with inhibitory control deficits.

In today’s column, I am continuing my ongoing series that has closely been exploring the use of generative AI as a generalized interactive chatbot that imparts mental health guidance.

But serious and sobering qualms exist. There isn’t a pre-check to validate that someone ought to be resorting to generic generative AI for such advisement. There isn’t any ironclad certification of the generative AI for use in this specific capacity. The guardrails of the generative AI might not be sufficient to avoid professing ill-advised guidance. So-called AI hallucinations can arise (as an aside, the parlance “AI hallucination” terminology is something that I demonstrably disfavor as a phraseology, for the reasons stated at the link here, but anyway generally connotes that generative AI can produce specious or fabricated answers). And so on.

All in all, you might declare that we are immersed in the Wild West of AI-based human mental health advisement, which is taking place surreptitiously yet in plain sight, and lacks the traditional kinds of checks and balances that society expects to protectively be instilled.

Continue reading “Using Generative AI As An Interactive Rage-Room Chatbot Raises Mental Health Guidance Qualms” »