Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: neuroscience – Page 2

3D maps reveal hidden microenvironments shaping mouse brain connectivity

Recent technological and scientific advances have opened new possibilities for neuroscience research, which is in turn leading to interesting new discoveries. Over the past few years, many groups of neuroscientists worldwide have been trying to map the structure of the brain and its underlying regions with increasing precision, while also probing their involvement in specific mental functions.

As mapping the human brain in detail is often challenging and requires significant resources, many studies focus on other mammals, particularly mice or other rodents. Most mouse brain atlases delineated to date map the density of neurons or other brain cells (i.e., how many cells are packed in specific parts of the brain). In contrast, fewer works also tried to map the shape of neurons in the mouse brain and interactions between them.

Researchers at Fudan University and Southeast University recently set out to map dendrites (i.e., branch-like extensions of neurons via which they receive signals from other cells) in the mouse brain. Their paper, published in Nature Neuroscience, unveils groups of structures in the mouse brain that influence how neurons function and connect to other neurons, also known as microenvironments.

How the cerebellum builds its connections with the rest of the brain during early development

For the first time, a team of researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), has reconstructed how the cerebellum establishes its connections with the rest of the brain during the earliest stages of life.

The work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes in detail the phases during which these neural connections emerge, expand, and are refined, offering the first comprehensive map of the development of cerebellar projections across the mouse brain.

Although the cerebellum has traditionally been associated with motor control, growing evidence shows that it also plays a role in processes such as emotional regulation, social behavior, and other cognitive functions. However, until now, it was not precisely known when it began interacting with other regions of the brain, communication that is fundamental for these cerebellar roles. This gap motivated the work of the group Development, Wiring and Function of Cerebellar Circuits, led by Juan Antonio Moreno Bravo at the IN.

‘Three-hit model’ involving genes and environment describes possible causes of autism

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study, published in Mitochondrion, describes a “three-hit” metabolic signaling model that reframes autism as a treatable disorder of cellular communication and energy metabolism. The model also suggests that as many as half of all autism cases might be prevented or reduced with prenatal and early-life interventions.

“Our findings suggest that autism is not the inevitable result of any one gene or exposure, but the outcome of a series of biological interactions, many of which can be modified,” said study author Robert K. Naviaux, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, pediatrics and pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Body image issues in adolescence are linked to depression in adulthood, twin study finds

Teenagers who are unhappy with their bodies are more likely to develop symptoms of eating disorders and depression in early adulthood, according to a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

The research, believed to be the first of its kind, followed more than 2,000 twins born in England and Wales. It found that higher body dissatisfaction at age 16 predicted greater symptoms of eating disorders and depression well into the twenties, even after taking into account family background and genetics.

Researchers say the findings strengthen evidence that a negative body image is not just a reflection of poor mental health, but that it can also contribute to it.

Stress hormones can alter brain networks and strengthen emotional memories

Stress influences what we learn and remember. The hormone cortisol, which is released during stressful situations, can make emotional memories in particular stronger. But how exactly does cortisol help the brain build emotional memories?

In a new study, Yale researchers investigated just that. Specifically, they wanted to know how cortisol acts separately on brain circuits that track emotion and those that track memory. They found that cortisol not only helped people remember emotional experiences but also enhanced emotional memory by changing the dynamic brain networks associated with both memory and emotion.

“We all experience stress, and my lab is interested in understanding how stress can be helpful,” said corresponding author Elizabeth Goldfarb, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and of psychology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Breakthrough uses artificial intelligence to identify different brain cells in action

A decades-old challenge in neuroscience has been solved by harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the electrical signatures of different types of brain cells for the first time, as part of a study in mice led by researchers from UCL.

Quantum clues to consciousness: New research suggests the brain may harness the zero-point field

What if your conscious experiences were not just the chatter of neurons, but were connected to the hum of the universe? In a paper published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, I present new evidence indicating that conscious states may arise from the brain’s capacity to resonate with the quantum vacuum—the zero-point field that permeates all of space.

More specifically, I argue that macroscopic quantum effects are at play inside our heads. This insight results from a synthesis of brain architectural and neurophysiological findings supplemented with quantitative model calculations. The novel synthesis suggests that the brain’s basic functional building blocks, cortical microcolumns, couple directly to the zero-point field, igniting the complex dynamics characteristic of conscious processes.

Short-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain Networks

An emerging body of evidence indicates that short-term immersion in cold water facilitates positive affect and reduces negative affect. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. For the first time, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify topological clusters of networks coupled with behavioural changes in positive and negative affect after a 5 min cold-water immersion. Perceived changes in positive affect were associated with feeling more active, alert, attentive, proud, and inspired, whilst changes in negative affect reflected reductions in distress and nervousness.

Medications change our gut microbiome in predictable ways

The bacteria in our poop are a reasonable representation of what’s living in our digestive system. To understand how different drugs can impact the gut microbiome, the team cultured microbial communities from nine donor fecal samples and systematically tested them with 707 different clinically relevant drugs.

The researchers examined changes in the growth of different bacterial species, the community composition, and the metabolome – the mix of small molecules called metabolites that microbes produce and consume. They found that 141 drugs altered the microbiome of the samples and even short-term treatments created enduring changes, entirely wiping out some microbial species. The primary force behind how the community responds to drug inhibition was competition over nutrients.

“The winners and losers among our gut bacteria can often be predicted by understanding how sensitive they are to the medications and how they compete for food,” said the first author on the paper. “In other words, drugs don’t just kill bacteria; they also reshuffle the ‘buffet’ in our gut, and that reshuffling shapes which bacteria win.”

Despite the complexity of the bacterial communities, the researchers were able to create data-driven computer models that accurately predicted how they would respond to a particular drug. They factored in the sensitivity of different bacterial species to that drug and the competitive landscape – essentially, who was competing with whom for which nutrients.

Their work provides a framework for predicting how a person’s microbial community might change with a given drug, and could help scientists find ways to prevent these changes or more easily restore a healthy gut microbiome in the future.

Our gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria and other microbes living in our intestines. These help our bodies break down food, assist our immune system, send chemical signals to our brain, and potentially serve many other functions that researchers are still working to understand. When the microbiome is out of balance – with not enough helpful bacteria or the wrong combination of microbes – it can affect our whole body.

Continue reading “Medications change our gut microbiome in predictable ways” | >

/* */