It is the first time that synaptic density has been measured in living people with autism.
Furthermore, the research team found that the fewer synapses an individual had, the more features of autism they exhibited.
The findings appear in Molecular Psychiatry.
As simple as our findings sound, this is something that has eluded our field for the past 80 years, says James McPartland, a professor in the Yale Child Study Center and the study’s principal investigator.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation offers rapid depression relief for patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.
Accelerated over just five days, this therapy targets key brain areas to adjust imbalances linked to depression, demonstrating significant effectiveness.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression.
Summary: Scientists have successfully reprogrammed astroglia, a type of brain support cell, into neurons that mimic specific interneurons critical for brain function. By modifying the Ascl1 protein, they increased its efficiency in converting astroglia to neuron-like cells, opening new possibilities for regenerative treatments for brain disorders such as epilepsy.
The engineered neurons exhibit high-frequency firing, a signature of certain interneurons essential for regulating brain activity. This work suggests astroglia could serve as a repair mechanism, allowing us to restore lost or damaged brain circuits.
The brain is a marvel of efficiency, honed by thousands of years of evolution so it can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Yet, despite decades of research, the mystery of how the brain achieves this has remained elusive.
Our new research, published in the journal Cell, reveals how neurons – the cells responsible for your childhood memories, thoughts and emotions – coordinate their activity.
It’s a bit like being a worker in a high-performing business. Balancing individual skills with teamwork is key to success, but how do you achieve the balance?
Scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have developed the first comprehensive blueprint of the human spliceosome, the most complex and intricate molecular machine found in every cell. This groundbreaking achievement, over a decade in the making, was published in the journal Science.
The spliceosome edits genetic messages transcribed from DNA, allowing cells to create different versions of a protein from a single gene. The vast majority of human genes – more than nine in ten – are edited by the spliceosome. Errors in the process are linked to a wide spectrum of diseases including most types of cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and genetic disorders.
The sheer number of components involved and the intricacy of its function has meant the spliceosome has remained elusive and uncharted territory in human biology – until now.
Deep sleep could be key to forestalling slow declines in brain health that may one day lead to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
In their 2023 study of 62 older, cognitively healthy adults, researchers from the University of California (UC) Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Irvine in the US found individuals with brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s performed better on memory function tests as they got more deep sleep.
This was irrespective of education and physical activity, two factors along with social connection known to contribute to cognitive resilience in older age.
A multitude of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors come together to create mental health problems in teens.
Using a broad genetic trawling method, scientists at Washington University identified connections between genetic risk factors and behaviors like screen time and stressful life events in youth. Their findings highlight potential areas for intervention to mitigate the risk of psychiatric disorders.
Genetic Research in Youth Behavior.
MIT researchers have uncovered two additional pathways in the brain’s striatum that modulate traditional movement control pathways by influencing dopamine production.
These pathways, connected to the brain’s striosomes, may play a crucial role in decisions with strong emotional components, potentially altering our understanding of how motivation and movement are interconnected.
In the human brain, movement is coordinated by a region called the striatum, which sends signals to motor neurons. These signals travel along two main pathways: one initiates movement (“go”), and the other inhibits it (“no-go”).
This finding, published in Science, was demonstrated by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, the Cluster of Excellence Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior at the University of Konstanz, Germany, Tel Aviv University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Would you be able to instantly recognize your location and find your way home from any random point within a three-kilometer radius, in complete darkness, with only a flashlight to guide you?
Echolocating bats face a similar challenge, with a local and directed beam of sound—their echolocation —to guide their way. Bats have long been known for their use of echolocation to avoid obstacles and orient themselves.