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Category: neuroscience – Page 36

FDA-Approved Sleeping Pill Slows Alzheimer’s Tangles in Pre-Clinical Trial

A drug used to treat insomnia has protected mice against the buildup of the tau protein found to clump abnormally in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. This could lead to new ways to help slow the progress of these diseases.

An increasing number of people are facing cognitive decline personally or in their loved ones. There are almost 10 million new cases of dementia globally each year, and despite decades of research, there are still few treatment options that provide clear benefits.

So due to the links between Alzheimer’s and poor sleep, Washington University neurologist Samira Parhizkar and colleagues investigated a central nervous system depressant, lemborexant, that was approved for use as a sleep aid by the FDA in December 2019.

Attention, conviction, motivation—cognitive states can be read on the face

Whether you are solving a puzzle, navigating a shopping center or writing an email, how well you do will not only depend on the task at hand but also on your internal cognitive state. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the Ernst Strüngmann Institute in Frankfurt have now shown that such cognitive states can be identified from facial expressions—and can even be used to accurately predict how quickly and successfully a task will be solved.

What’s more, this works across species—more specifically, macaques and mice. In both species, facial expressions not only express emotional states, but also latent cognitive processes in a measurable way.

Researcher’s lifelong work sheds light on neurodegenerative diseases caused by errors in cellular protein production

One of the great biological mysteries of the human body is how hundreds of complex, origami-like proteins, many of which are crucial for normal body function, come to assume their final, correct shape.

MIT’s Once-a-Week Pill Could Revolutionize Schizophrenia Treatment

The ingestible capsule creates a drug depot in the stomach, slowly releasing its medication over time and removing the need for patients to take a daily dose. For many people living with schizophrenia, other psychiatric conditions, or chronic illnesses like hypertension and asthma, taking medicat

Super Humanity | How AI Will Transform Us

Super Humanity — Imagine if your brain could interface directly with AI.
Super Humanity explores the revolutionary intersection of neuroscience and technology, revealing a future where artificial intelligence integrates effortlessly with human thought.

Super Humanity (2019)
Director: Ruth Chao.
Writers: Ruth Chao, Paula Cons, Alphonse de la Puente.
Genre: Documentary, Sci-Fi.
Country: Portugal, Spain.
Language: English.
Release Date: December 27, 2019 (Spain)

Synopsis:
The convergence of human brains and AI will create a new breed of humanity—often described as ‘super-humanity.’

By enabling brain-machine interfaces, human cognitive powers will be amplified, marking the dawn of enhanced humans. Connected minds will unlock advanced synthetic telepathy, offering not only the ability to perceive others’ thoughts but also to influence them. Yet, what are the advantages and dangers posed by these groundbreaking advancements?

Neurotechnology stands at the threshold of a societal transformation, reshaping our concepts of identity and reality itself. The establishment of neuro-rights will be crucial, requiring laws that protect the privacy of our conscious and even subconscious minds.

Mind Forward delves deeply into the potential of this new frontier.

Continue reading “Super Humanity | How AI Will Transform Us” | >

DNA ‘glue’ could help prevent and treat diseases triggered by ageing

Macquarie University researchers have discovered a naturally occurring protein found in human cells plays a powerful role in repairing damaged DNA — the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for building and maintaining living things.

The discovery, published in the journal Ageing Cell, could hold the key to developing therapies for devastating age-related diseases such as motor neuron disease (MND), Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

Hope: Dr Sina Shadfar, pictured, and colleagues discovered a protein which they have shown for the first time acts like a ‘glue’, helping to repair broken DNA, which is widely accepted as one of the main contributors to ageing and the progression of age-related diseases.

The research, conducted by neurobiologist Dr Sina Shadfar and colleagues in the Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, reveals a protein called protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) helps repair serious deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for therapies aimed at boosting the body’s ability to fix its own DNA — a process that becomes less efficient as we age.