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Archive for the ‘neuroscience’ category: Page 376

Dec 9, 2022

Alzheimer’s tied to cholesterol, abnormal nerve insulation

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Earlier research by Dr. Li-Huei Tsai of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others found that APOE4 might raise Alzheimer’s risk by altering lipid metabolism in certain brain cells. But the underlying details of the process remained unclear.

To build on these findings, the team conducted a multi-pronged study that assessed gene activity of all major cell types in post-mortem human brain tissue from 32 men and women who had one, two, or no copies of the APOE4 gene. Results were published in Nature on November 24, 2022.

The researchers found that APOE4 affected gene expression across all measured cell types. The team then took a closer look at genes related to cholesterol and other lipids. Cholesterol-manufacturing genes were overly expressed, and cholesterol-transporting genes dysregulated, in brain cells called oligodendrocytes with the APOE4 gene. Oligodendrocytes are found in the brain and spinal cord. They make and maintain a fatty substance called myelin that surrounds and insulates long nerve fibers. The abnormalities were more extreme in oligodendrocytes with two copies of APOE4 rather than one.

Dec 8, 2022

How the Brain Works: The Thousand Brains Theory of Intelligence | Numenta

Posted by in categories: neuroscience, robotics/AI

Have you ever wondered what makes you intelligent? How are you able to see, hear, think, read, sing, solve problems, and perform any number of intelligent tasks?

Your brain learns a model of the world, and this model recreates the structure of everything you know. Everything you do and experience is based on this model. Intelligence is the ability to create this model of the world.

Continue reading “How the Brain Works: The Thousand Brains Theory of Intelligence | Numenta” »

Dec 8, 2022

New Study Finds That Deep Brain Stimulation Is Highly Effective in Treating Severe OCD

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

The symptoms of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD as it is more popularly known, may be reduced by half with deep brain stimulation, according to a pooled data analysis of the available data, which was recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry.

According to the research, two-thirds of individuals who were affected saw a significant improvement after two years.

OCD is characterized by intrusive and persistent obsessive thoughts, as well as dysfunctional and ritualized behaviors. It is estimated that up to 3% of the population is affected by it.

Dec 8, 2022

‘Massive evidence’ on evolution: Extinct human species with tiny brains ‘used fire’ to live underground

Posted by in categories: evolution, food, neuroscience

‘I almost died on the way out,’ said the six-foot-two tall archeologist who lost 25 kgs to enter a 17.5-centimeter cave.

Researchers claim to have discovered new evidence of extinct human species who lived in the underground caves of modern-day South Africa.

“We have massive evidence. It’s everywhere,” said Berger, who reported the findings in a press release and a Carnegie Science lecture at the Martin Luther King Jr.

Continue reading “‘Massive evidence’ on evolution: Extinct human species with tiny brains ‘used fire’ to live underground” »

Dec 8, 2022

The story of the man who took over 40,000 ecstasy pills over 9 years

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

He suffered both physical and mental long-term side effects.

In April of 2006, doctors from London University revealed a case study of what they believed at the time was the largest amount of ecstasy ever consumed by a single person. They published a case report of a British man named only Mr. A estimated to have taken around 40,000 pills of MDMA over nine years, the most amount known to anyone.

They reported that the man then suffered from prominent physical and mental health side effects, such as extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression, as well as painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw, which often prevented him from opening his mouth.

Continue reading “The story of the man who took over 40,000 ecstasy pills over 9 years” »

Dec 8, 2022

The Terrifying Future of Brain Computers

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

Neural Computing Interfaces will revolutionize the world. From aiding motor function recovery, to augmenting and transforming the future human users. In this video, we take a look at what good can come from this technology but also what dark horrors await this future.

Dec 8, 2022

Panpsychism: A Fantastic Theory About Consciousness

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Panpsychism is a disruptive theory put forward by some philosophers and neuroscientists. It proposes that human consciousness is only one of many forms of consciousness in…

Dec 8, 2022

A signaling pathway within brain cells that regulates how long and how deeply we sleep

Posted by in categories: genetics, neuroscience

A good night’s sleep can work wonders for both mind and body. But what is it that determines how much we need to sleep, and what can cause us to sleep more deeply?

In a new study, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have now provided some answers, revealing a signaling pathway within that regulates the length and depth of sleep.

“We examined in mice and how these affect their patterns of sleep,” says senior author of the study, Professor Hiromasa Funato. “We identified a mutation that led to the mice sleeping much longer and more deeply than usual.” The researchers found that this was caused by low levels of an enzyme called histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which is known to suppress the expression of target genes.

Dec 8, 2022

How Far Away are we from a Real Version of Upload?

Posted by in categories: computing, life extension, neuroscience

Frankly I’m pretty stoked about getting my brain inside a computer and living forever.

Dec 7, 2022

Do mitochondria hold the key to a Parkinson’s breakthrough?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Biotech startup Lucy Therapeutics is developing mitochondrial-based small molecule therapies for neurological diseases and recently revealed the first two drugs to emerge from its lead programme targeting Parkinson’s. The company, which takes its name from the 3.2-million-year-old fossil of an ancestor of humankind, presented “promising preclinical data” at the Michael J Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Conference in October.

The data shown by Lucy Therapeutics demonstrated that its compounds were able to reverse mitochondrial dysfunctions linked to Parkinson’s. In cellular models of the disease, the drugs boosted levels of cellular energy molecule ATP, prevented the death of neurons, and reduced levels of other hallmarks of Parkinson’s, including a-synuclein.

Longevity. Technology: Mitochondria are widely known as the ‘power generators’ within our cells, and their dysfunction has been linked to a range of age-related diseases. But the role of mitochondria extends beyond cellular energy as they also dictate many of a cell’s key functions. Lucy Therapeutics was founded on the hypothesis that diseases with rate-limiting steps involving mitochondrial dysfunction can potentially be treated by modulating key mitochondrial protein targets. To find out more, we caught up with the company’s founder and CEO, Dr Amy Ripka.

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