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Category: neuroscience – Page 29

Scientists Use Engineered Cells to Combat Aging in Primates

As we age, our bodies gradually lose their ability to repair and regenerate. Stem cells diminish, making it increasingly difficult for tissues to heal and maintain balance. This reduction in stem cells is a hallmark of aging and a key driver of age-related diseases. Scientists have long debated whether this decline is the root cause of aging or a side effect. Efforts to use stem cell transplants to reverse aging have faced many challenges, such as ensuring the cells survive and integrate into the body without causing serious side effects, like tumors.

In a recent study published in Cell, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Capital Medical University introduced a new type of human stem cell called senescence-resistant mesenchymal progenitor cells (SRCs) by reprogramming the genetic pathways associated with longevity. These cells, which resist aging and stress without developing tumors, were tested on elderly crab-eating macaques, which share physiological similarities with humans in their 60s and 70s.

The research team conducted a 44-week experiment on these macaques. The macaques received biweekly intravenous injections of SRCs, with a dosage of 2×106 cells per kilogram of body weight. The researchers found no adverse effects among the macaques. Detailed assessments confirmed that the transplanted cells did not cause tissue damage or tumors.

The researchers discovered that SRCs triggered a multi-system rejuvenation, reversing key markers of aging across 10 major physiological systems and 61 different tissue types. The treated macaques exhibited improved cognitive function, and tissue analyses indicated a reduction in age-related degenerative conditions such as brain atrophy, osteoporosis, fibrosis, and lipid buildup. 👍

Neuroprotective Potential of Aromatic Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender

Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from neurological disorders or have experienced them intermittently, which has significantly reduced their quality of life. The common treatments for neurological disorders are relatively expensive and may lead to a wide variety of side effects including sleep attacks, gastrointestinal side effects, blood pressure changes, etc. On the other hand, several herbal medications have attracted colossal popularity worldwide in the recent years due to their availability, affordable prices, and few side effects. Aromatic plants, sage (Salvia officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) have already shown anxiolytics, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. They have also shown potential in treating common neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine, and cognitive disorders. This review summarizes the data on the neuroprotective potential of aromatic herbs, sage, lavender, and rosemary.

A neurological disorder is described as any condition that results in functional or structural damage to the nervous system. Neurological disorders account for the second main cause of death globally and the first main cause of disability as they typically cause cognitive impairment or sensorimotor dysfunction leading to reduced quality of daily life. Due to the high mortality and morbidity rate of neurological disorders, preventive and therapeutic strategies are crucial. The conventional medications administered for treating neurological disorders are associated with different adverse events; hence, the possible therapeutic effects of natural products on neurological conditions have been addressed by many researchers in the recent years (Ahmadi et al., 2022). A variety of herbal medications have gained the attraction of researchers in the last decade, due to their availability, lower price, and rare side effects (Abdel-Aziz et al., 2016).

Aromatic herbs such as sage (Salvia officinalis), rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) have shown promising neuroprotective effects in the recent studies (Kashani et al., 2011; Jamison, 2012; Jemia et al., 2013; Alvi et al., 2019; Mohseni et al., 2020; Caputo et al., 2021). Salvia Rosmarinus is an evergreen herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Salvia Rosmarinus naturally grows in dry scrub and rocky areas in the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe to western Asia and has potential antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory features (Leporini et al., 2020). The therapeutic effects of Salvia Rosmarinus on a variety of cognitive disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and epilepsy have been suggested (Park et al., 2008; de Oliveira et al., 2016; Giacomelli et al., 2016; El Alaoui et al., 2017; Yildirim and Kitis, 2020). Lavandula angustifolia is a well-known aromatic herb in the Lamiaceae family.

Season of birth shows slight association with depression in men but not women

Males born in summer months reported higher depression symptom scores than males born during other seasons, according to a study from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Anxiety symptoms showed no association with season of birth for either sex.

Anxiety and remain among the most common mental disorders worldwide, with both conditions contributing to long-term disability, physical comorbidities, and substantial economic losses. A range of factors shape mental health across the lifespan, including housing, income, education, and age. Research into early-life exposures remains limited, particularly exposures shaped by environmental seasonality.

During gestation, exposure to temperature shifts, maternal diet, seasonal infections, and variation in daylight may influence neurodevelopment. Birth season has previously been associated with risk for psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Studies examining and depression have produced mixed results, often without stratifying by sex.

Serotonin receptor signaling insights may pave way for next-gen mental health drugs

In a discovery that could guide the development of next-generation antidepressants and antipsychotic medications, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed new insights into how a critical brain receptor works at the molecular level and why that matters for mental health treatments.

The study, published in the online issue of Science Advances, focuses on the 5-HT1A , a major player in regulating mood and a common target of both traditional antidepressants and newer therapies such as psychedelics. The paper is titled “Structural determinants of G protein subtype selectivity at the serotonin receptor 5-HT1A.”

Despite its clinical importance, this receptor has remained poorly understood, with many of its molecular and pharmacological properties largely understudied—until now.

The hidden mental health cost of climate distress

A new Stanford-led study sheds light on “an emerging psychological health crisis” that disproportionately affects girls. Published July 30 in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study is among the first to quantify how repeated climate stressors impact the psychological well-being and future outlook of adolescents in low-resource settings.

Researchers from Stanford’s schools of Medicine, Law, and Sustainability partnered with in Bangladesh to survey more than 1,000 teenagers and conduct focus groups across two regions with starkly different flood exposure.

“What we found really lifts the voices of frontline —a group whose perspectives and are so rarely investigated and communicated,” said lead author Liza Goldberg, an incoming Earth system science Ph.D. student in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

What Can a Cell Remember?

In a provocative study published in Nature Communications late last year, the neuroscientist Nikolay Kukushkin and his mentor Thomas J. Carew at New York University showed that human kidney cells growing in a dish can “remember” patterns of chemical signals when they’re presented at regularly spaced intervals — a memory phenomenon common to all animals, but unseen outside the nervous system until now. Kukushkin is part of a small but enthusiastic cohort of researchers studying “aneural,” or brainless, forms of memory. What does a cell know of itself? So far, their research suggests that the answer to McClintock’s question might be: much more than you think.

Brainless Learning

The prevailing wisdom in neuroscience has long been that memory and learning are consequences of “synaptic plasticity” in the brain. The connections between clusters of neurons simultaneously active during an experience strengthen into networks that remain active even after the experience has passed, perpetuating it as a memory. This phenomenon, expressed by the adage “Neurons that fire together, wire together,” has shaped our understanding of memory for the better part of a century. But if solitary nonneural cells can also remember and learn, then networks of neurons can’t be the whole story.

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