Dopamine may not control the force or speed of movements as long believed.
Category: neuroscience – Page 32
World’s first 3D-printed brain tissue that mirrors human brain function
🧠💡 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.
Scientists 3D Print Human Brain Tissue for the First Time
#HumanBrain #TechNews #3DPrinter
Activation of Dopamine D1 Receptors at the Axon Initial Segment-Like Process of Retinal AII Amacrine Cells Modulates Action Potential Firing
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.
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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.
Stem cell-mediated recovery in stroke: partnering with the immune system
In this Review, Saef Izzy and colleagues examine the therapeutic potential of stem cells in stroke, with a focus on neural and mesenchymal stem cells. They explore how these stem cells interact with brain immune cells to modulate the inflammatory microenvironment, restore blood–brain barrier integrity and promote tissue repair following a stroke.
Online psychoeducation underperforms existing digital cognitive behavioral therapy in trial
Big Health Inc, along with paid academic investigators, reports higher remission rates and lower anxiety symptom scores with their smartphone-delivered digital cognitive behavioral therapy, DaylightRx, compared with an online psychoeducation, also created by Big Health Inc.
Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive, persistent, and uncontrollable anxiety with lifetime prevalence reported as 6%, alongside reduced quality of life, impaired social and occupational functioning, and increased health care utilization.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy are considered first-line treatments. Despite strong tolerability, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness, access remains limited due to a shortage of trained therapists, time burdens, and stigma.
Why some brains switch gears more efficiently than others
The human brain is constantly processing information that unfolds at different speeds—from split-second reactions to sudden environmental changes to slower, more reflective processes such as understanding context or meaning.
A new study from Rutgers Health, published in Nature Communications, sheds light on how the brain integrates these fast and slow signals across its complex web of white matter connectivity pathways to support cognition and behavior.
Different regions of the brain are specialized for processing information over specific time windows, a property known as intrinsic neural timescales, or INTs for short.
CRISPR Screens Revolutionize Human Neural Organoids Research
Studying the intricate molecular mechanisms that govern the assembly of the human nervous system has long been one of the most significant challenges in developmental biology and neuroscience. Researchers are continuously seeking a deeper understanding of how the human brain is built and what leads to various neurological disorders. Recent advancements in stem cell technology, particularly the ability to generate neural cells from pluripotent stem cells, coupled with the power of genome-editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9, are setting the stage for groundbreaking insights into human neurodevelopment and associated diseases. These technological innovations open new avenues for research that were previously thought to be unattainable.
The emergence of organoids and assembloids—miniature, simplified versions of brain tissue—has revolutionized the way scientists can model human development in vitro. Organoids replicate some of the complexity of human brain structures, allowing researchers to visualize developmental processes such as the specification, migration, and integration of neurons. This is particularly important for cortical interneurons, which migrate from the ventral forebrain to the dorsal forebrain during early brain development. These in vitro models provide an opportunity to study these intricate processes more closely and could lead to transformative discoveries in our understanding of brain diseases.
In a significant advancement outlined in recent research, scientists have developed a detailed protocol that marries pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screening with neural organoid and assembloid models. This innovative approach enables researchers to map hundreds of disease-related genes onto specific cellular pathways and critical aspects of human neural development. Such a strategy can significantly enhance our understanding of how various genes contribute to essential neuronal functions and the onset of neurological diseases, thereby paving the way for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.