Serino et al. show that seeing an infectious avatar approach the body in virtual reality triggers an immune response, indicating that the brain prepares the body to fight infections even for perceived, but not real, threats.
Category: neuroscience – Page 287
Anti-neuroinflammatory natural products from isopod-related fungus now accessible via chemical synthesis
“Herpotrichone” is a natural substance that has been evaluated highly for its excellent ability to suppress inflammation in the brain and protect nerve cells, displaying significant potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This substance could only be obtained in minute quantities from fungi that are symbiotic with isopods. However, KAIST researchers have succeeded in chemically synthesizing this rare natural product, thereby presenting the possibility for the development of next-generation drugs for neurodegenerative diseases.
A research team led by Professor Sunkyu Han of the Department of Chemistry successfully synthesized the natural anti-neuroinflammatory substances ‘herpotrichones A, B, and C’ for the first time. The paper is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Herpotrichone natural products are substances obtainable only in minute quantities from Herpotrichia sp. SF09, a symbiotic pill bug fungus, and possesses a unique 6÷6÷6÷6÷3 pentacyclic framework consisting of five fused rings (four six-membered and one three-membered ring).
Brain cells controlling stress switch on and off in hourly cycles
University of Otago Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led research has found stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off in a steady rhythm about once every hour—even when nothing stressful is happening.
Senior author Associate Professor Karl Iremonger, of Otago’s Department of Physiology and Center for Neuroendocrinology, says these rhythms shape activity patterns and alertness.
These bursts of brain cell activity seem to act like a natural ‘wake-up’ signal, and often lead to a rise in stress hormones, or cortisol.
Vagus nerve stimulation paired with meditation increases self-compassion and mindfulness benefits
Stimulating the vagus nerve with a device attached to the outer ear can help make compassion meditation training more effective at boosting people’s capacity for self-kindness and mindfulness, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.
The study, published in Psychological Medicine, adds to evidence of the potential benefits of stimulating this key nerve that connects the brain with major organs in the chest and abdomen.
The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in the “rest-and-digest” (parasympathetic) system, counteracting the “fight-or-flight” (sympathetic) stress response, and allows the brain to communicate with all major organs in the body. By transmitting signals from the body up to the brain, the vagus nerve can also regulate a range of psychological processes, including some involved in social interactions and emotional control.
Pharmacy Professor Works to Unlock Secrets of Cellular Sugar
OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi pharmacy professor will study how sugar molecules on proteins could lead to new ways to detect and treat diseases using a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation.
The NSF has awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program grant to Jing Li, assistant professor of medical chemistry and research and assistant professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science.
Li will use computer modeling to study the effects of sugar molecules connected to proteins. These molecules – known as glycosylation – affect ion channels that play a crucial role in brain activity, heartbeats and muscle movement.
Experiments add to evidence of links between amyloid deposits in brain and bone marrow
A recent study led by a team of researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine examining aging mice has provided what is believed to be the first evidence that amyloid beta protein—small, sticky protein fragment found in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—particles build up in the bone marrow of the animals, although not in the exact same form as the large, dense plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Although amyloid buildup has been found in organs outside the brain—such as the heart, kidneys, and nerves—it remains unclear whether similar deposits form in bone or bone marrow with aging or in Alzheimer’s disease,” says contributing study author Mei Wan, Ph.D., professor of the department of Orthopedic Surgery.
“While brain amyloid has been extensively studied for its role in memory loss and neurodegeneration, far less is known about amyloid elsewhere in the body. In fact, almost nothing is known about whether amyloid forms in the skeleton or how it might contribute to age-related bone loss.”
Exposure to nanoplastics could induce spread of Alzheimer’s disease from the brain to other organs
A new preclinical study has found exposure to nanoplastics may contribute to the rapid progression of Alzheimer’s disease and subsequent spread from the brain to other key organs such as the liver, heart and gut.
The research, “Cerebral to Systemic Representations of Alzheimer’s Pathogenesis Stimulated by Polystyrene Nanoplastics,” is published in the journal Environment & Health.
The study, co-led by Monash University and South China University of Technology, investigated how environmental-level polystyrene nanoplastic exposure influences the progression of Alzheimer’s disease from the brain to other parts of the body. Studies in mice revealed that nanoplastic-induced neurological damage is not confined within the brain, but expands systemically through the gut–liver–brain axis.
Human CLOCK gene enhances brain connectivity and mental flexibility in mice, study finds
Clock genes are a set of genes known to contribute to the regulation of the human body’s internal 24-hour cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm. One of these genes is the so-called CLOCK gene, a protein that regulates the activity of other genes, contributing to recurrent patterns of sleep and wakefulness.
Past findings suggest that this gene is also expressed in the neocortex, a brain region that supports important cognitive abilities, including reasoning, decision-making and the processing of language. However, the gene’s possible contribution to these specific brain functions remains poorly understood.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center recently carried out a study on genetically modified mice aimed at better understanding how the expression of the CLOCK gene in the human neocortex influences cognitive functions. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that the gene plays a role in the formation of connections between neurons, which in turn influence mental and behavioral flexibility.
New research unveils vast influence of B vitamins on health and disease
Eight essential nutrients make up the suite of B vitamins also known as the B complex. Researchers from Tufts University and elsewhere have revealed that these B vitamins influence a vast spectrum of human health and disease, including cognitive function, cardiovascular health, gastric bypass recovery, neural tube defects, and even cancer.
“It’s hard to study the B vitamins in isolation,” says gastroenterologist Joel Mason, senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) and professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Tufts University School of Medicine. “Four of these B-vitamins cooperate as co-factors in many critical activities in cells in what we call ‘one carbon metabolism’.”
One carbon metabolism is a series of pathways that allow for the transfer of single-carbon units to cells for essential processes such as DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and more. It’s their role in all these crucial biological functions that make the B vitamins so important-and so challenging to tease out how they contribute positively and, perhaps negatively, to human health.