Cells may generate their own electrical signals through microscopic membrane motions. Researchers show that active molecular processes can create voltage spikes similar to those used by neurons. These signals could help drive ion transport and explain key biological functions. The work may also guide the design of intelligent, bio-inspired materials.
Steven L. Spitalnik & team report on a double-blind randomized trial for iron-deficient blood donors, finding treatment appears to affect brain function, brain iron, and myelin levels:
The heatmap images highlight the trend for increased iron in most brain regions.
1Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, and.
2Cognitive Neuroscience Division in Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
3Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA.
The breakthrough wasn’t speed or scale, but a neural architecture that finally respected protein geometry.
AlphaFold didn’t accelerate biology by running faster experiments. It changed the engineering assumptions behind protein structure prediction.
Through in vivo enhancer screening, the researchers also demonstrate that injury-responsive enhancers can selectively target reactive astrocytes across the CNS using therapeutically relevant gene delivery vectors.
“We have shown how cells read these instructions through a code that tells them how to react to injury. This code combines signals from general stress factors with the cell’s own identity,” explains the researcher.
After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences. This knowledge could help develop more targeted treatments.
When the central nervous system is damaged – for example, in a spinal cord injury – many cells become reactive. This means they change their function and activate genes that protect and repair tissue. However, how this process is regulated has long been unclear.
Researchers have now mapped thousands of so-called enhancers; small DNA sequences that act like ‘switches’ for genes, turning them on or boosting their activity.
🧠💡 Thinking about organ transplants?
🔬 A team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has achieved a groundbreaking milestone!
🌐 They’ve developed the world’s first 3D-printed brain tissue that mirrors human brain function.
🚀 This is a giant leap forward for research into neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders.
🖨️ Utilizing a horizontal layering technique and a softer bio-ink, this 3D-printing method allows neurons to weave together, forming networks similar to those in the human brain.
🔍 This precision in controlling cell types and arrangements opens new doors for studying neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
#HumanBrain #TechNews #3DPrinter
JNeurosci: Results from Veruki et al. show that activation of D1 receptors in rats reduces the excitability of AII amacrines by increasing the threshold of action potential initiation, suggesting a new role for DA in the retina.
🔗
Dopamine is an important neuromodulator found throughout the central nervous system that can influence neural circuits involved in sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. In the retina, dopamine is released by specific amacrine cells and plays a role in reconfiguring circuits for photopic vision. This adaptation takes place both in photoreceptors and at postreceptoral sites. The AII amacrine cell, which plays a crucial role for transmission of both scotopic and photopic visual signals, has been considered an important target of dopaminergic modulation, expressed as a change in the strength of electrical coupling mediated by gap junctions between the AIIs. It has been difficult, however, to find clear evidence for expression of dopamine receptors by AII amacrines.