Team led by neuroscientist used stem cells originating from Alvin Lucier’s blood to create sound installation
Category: neuroscience – Page 196
Hypoxic Preconditioning Enhances the Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury
About 20% to 35% of the population suffers from chronic sleep disorders—and up to half of all people in older age. Moreover, almost every teenager or adult has experienced short-term sleep deprivation at some point. There are many reasons for not getting enough sleep, whether it be partying, a long day at work, caring for relatives, or simply whiling away time on smartphones.
In a recent meta-study, Jülich researchers have now been able to show that the brain regions involved in the short-term and long-term conditions differ significantly. The results of the study were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
“Poor sleep is one of the most important—but changeable—risk factors for mental illnesses in adolescents and older people,” says Jülich researcher and Privatdozent Dr. Masoud Tahmasian, who coordinated the study. In contrast, long-term pathological sleep disorders, such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and short-term sleep deprivation, are located in different parts of the brain.
Monads, Brains and Quantum Computing: Klaus Mainzer on Brain, Complexity, and Quantumness
In this talk, Klaus Mainzer explores the connections between the Leibniz’ Monadology, the structure and function of the brain, and recent developments in quantum computing. He reflects on the nature of complexity, intelligence, and the possibilities of quantum information technologies.
Live human brain tissue reveals how Alzheimer’s-linked protein damages connections
Scientists using living human brain tissue have shown for the first time how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can stick to and damage the connections between brain cells.
Small pieces of healthy human brain tissue —collected during routine neurosurgery operations—were exposed to the protein, known as amyloid beta.
Unlike when subjected to a normal form of the protein, the brain tissue did not attempt to repair damage caused by the toxic form of amyloid beta, experts say.
Depression and other mental health conditions linked to immune response, study finds
Depression, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions affect 1 in 4 people in their lifetime, but the mechanisms underlying these conditions are poorly understood. New research led by researchers at the University of Bristol has linked the body’s immune response with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and bipolar disorder. The study demonstrates mental health conditions might be affected by the whole body as well as changes in the brain. The findings could pave the way for better treatments of some mental health conditions.
The work appears in Molecular Psychiatry.
Most people with depression or schizophrenia are treated with drugs that work on brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. However, one in three people with these conditions do not benefit from these treatments, suggesting that other mechanisms are involved.
Skin Test Detects Neurodegenerative Disease PSP with High Accuracy
This could also have a negative impact on research since patients with PSP may be misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and be included in a trial that targets the wrong protein, influencing the results.
The research that led to the PSP breakthrough has roots in an earlier study. In previous research, Martinez-Valbuena and his colleagues developed a test that could detect misfolded alpha synuclein protein in the skin in patients with Parkinson’s.
Researchers have since validated that assay and hope it can be used in clinical trials, although the test is not yet available for clinical diagnoses.
