Lifeboat Foundation

Neuroscientists decode song from brain recordings, revealing areas dealing with rhythm and vocals.

By Robert Sanders

The bioactivity of most near-infrared II (NIRII) fluorophores are limited, thereby conflicting the achievement of strong fluorescence and high catalytic activities, due to a lack of free electrons in the method.

To overcome this challenge, Huizhen Ma and a research team in translational medicine, neural engineering, physics, and materials at the Tianjin University China developed atomically precise gold clusters with strong near-infrared II fluorescence to show potent enzyme-mimetic activities by using atomic engineering, to form active copper single-atom sites.

These gold-copper clusters (Au₂₁ Cu₁) showed higher antioxidant nature with a 90-fold catalase-like and 3-fold higher superoxide dismutase-like activity compared to gold clusters alone. These clusters can be cleared through the kidney to monitor cisplatin-induced renal injury within a 20–120-minute window to visualize the process in 3D via near-infrared light-sheet microscopy.

Short-lived proteins control gene expression in cells and execute critical roles ranging from assisting brain connectivity to fortifying the body’s immune response. Originating in the nucleus, these proteins are swiftly degraded after fulfilling their purpose.

For decades, the mechanism behind the degradation and removal of these essential proteins from cells remained a mystery to researchers — until now.

In a cross-departmental collaboration, researchers from Harvard Medical School identified a protein called midnolin that plays a key role in degrading many short-lived nuclear proteins. The study shows that midnolin does so by directly grabbing the proteins and pulling them into the cellular waste-disposal system, called the proteasome, where they are destroyed.

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In this episode, filmed during Abundance360, Peter and David discuss David’s groundbreaking research on reversing aging through epigenetic changes, emphasizing that aging is not just damage to the body but a loss of information. They talk about age reversal as a possibility, rejuvenating brains, and regaining lost memories.

Continue reading “Aging is Now Optional w/ David Sinclair | EP #60” »

The Human Brain Project wraps up in September after a decade. It had notable achievements and a troubled past.

Vaccinations against tetanus and diphtheria, pneumococcus, and herpes zoster (HZ)- better known as shingles, are linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The corresponding study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Viral, bacterial, and fungal infections increase the risk of neuroinflammation, which may cause or exacerbate neurodegeneration and dementia. Vaccines may thus reduce neurodegeneration and dementia risk by reducing the risk of infection. Previous research, for example, shows that people who receive at least one influenza vaccine are 40% less likely than unvaccinated peers to develop AD.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends older adults receive vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria and herpes zoster, and pneumococcus. The researchers behind the current study thus sought to see how these common vaccines may affect AD risk.

Most of us who’ve reached middle age have noticed a slowing in memory and cognition, but scientists don’t have a clear picture of the molecular changes that take place in the brain to cause it.

Now, a study in mice has determined that the most pronounced changes occur in the white matter, a type of nervous system tissue that’s integral to transmitting signals across the brain. The study also examined two treatments — caloric restriction and infusions of plasma from young mice — that affect certain regions of the brain, with the plasma appearing to slow the age-related decline.

Continue reading “Stanford Medicine-led research identifies gene ‘fingerprint’ for brain aging” »

How looks life with na implant in brain.

Brain-computer interface technology is a fast-growing field but how does it feel to live with an implant inside of you?

In 2014, Ian Burkhart looked down at his hand and imagined closing it. To his astonishment, his hand did just that.

Continue reading “How does it feel to live with a cerebral implant?” »

The viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago raised major funding that resulted in the discovery of new genes connected to the disease. One of those genes is NEK1, in which mutations have been linked to as much as 2% of all ALS cases, making it one of the top-known causes of the disease.

But it wasn’t known how the mutated gene disrupts the function of the motor neuron and causes it to degenerate and die.

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered for the first time how this mutated gene leads to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).