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Category: neuroscience – Page 482

An astrophysicist at the University of Bologna and a neurosurgeon at the University of Verona compared the network of neuronal cells in the human brain with the cosmic network of galaxies… and surprising similarities emerged.

In their paper published in Frontiers in Physics, Franco Vazza (astrophysicist at the University of Bologna) and Alberto Feletti (neurosurgeon at the University of Verona) investigated the similarities between two of the most challenging and in nature: the cosmic of and the network of neuronal cells in the .

Despite the substantial difference in scale between the two networks (more than 27 orders of magnitude), their , which sits at the crossroads of cosmology and neurosurgery, suggests that diverse physical processes can build structures characterized by similar levels of complexity and self-organization.

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In a recent study, scientists have made an unprecedented discovery: crows are not only clever; they also show consciousness and are aware of the world around them. This means they also have experiences that they feel and remember.

As per the research work published in the journal ‘Science’, researchers have discussed that crows show a primary or sensory consciousness. Such a form of consciousness was previously only found among primates before. This was the first time such a form of consciousness was recorded among a bird. Scientists believe this study will pave the path for researchers to understand better the evolution of awareness among the different living beings and how it affects the brain and thinking capacity among the various organisms.

It is difficult to understand the extent of consciousness, especially concerning birds because they do not speak the way we do, nor do we have sophisticated instruments to understand what goes inside their heads. Consciousness involves the thought process behind self-awareness and awareness of the world around oneself. With a good conscience, an individual often shows problem-solving traits and good decision-making skills – some visible strategies, both at which crows are good.

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Most neurons in the human brain are generated from neural stem cells during embryonic development. After birth, a small reservoir of stem cells remains in the brain that keeps on producing new neurons throughout life. However, the question arises as to whether these new neurons really support brain function? And if so, can we improve brain capacity by increasing the number of neurons? The research group of Prof. Federico Calegari at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) of TU Dresden has answered these questions, now published in the EMBO Journal.

In their latest study, the scientists analysed healthy adult mice in which the small reservoir of stem cells was manipulated in order to increase in number. As a result, the number of neurons, generated from these stem cells, also increased. In mice, these neurons mainly populate the brain area responsible for interpreting odours. In fact, olfaction is one to the most powerful senses in mice, fundamental for finding food and escape from predators. As powerful as the sense of smell naturally is in mice, in the following behavioural experiments the scientists found that mice with more neurons were able to distinguish extremely similar odours that normal mice failed to. Hence, this study is fundamental in proving that stem cells can be used to improve brain function.

“Evolution gave mice an extremely sensitive olfactory system. It is amazing that by adding few neurons we could improve something that seemed already close to perfection,” states Prof. Federico Calegari. “This study sets the basis for our research, which now is focused on finding out whether we could apply our strategy as a therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative models.”

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Standford.

The microbiome is a community of microorganisms that are found to cohabit in a given environment. The human gut has its own set of microorganisms that are markedly different from those on the skin. Over the years, the study of the human gut microbiome has attracted interest after researchers have found it to play a role in neural development as well as response to immunotherapies when treating cancer.

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Circa 2019 The pineal gland is often misunderstood even today we still are glimpsing the vast universe of the human mind but until we can essentially know all input and output of the human brain we may not know everything that is needed for proper care of the human brain much like back in the 1900s when we still talked about aether or even miasma. We can see Manu things like the pineal gland produces dmt, HGH, melatonin, aswell as many other biological functions for circadian rhythm even dreams but still are scratching the surface.

Keywords: autism, pineal gland, N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), melatonin, neural plasticity.

Citation: Shomrat T and Nesher N (2019) Updated View on the Relation of the Pineal Gland to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front. Endocrinol. 10:37. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.

Received: 16 October 2018; Accepted: 16 January 2019; Published: 5 February 2019.

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face_with_colon_three circa 2018.

Understanding the fundamental constituents of the universe is tough. Making sense of the brain is another challenge entirely. Each cubic millimetre of human brain contains around 4 km of neuronal “wires” carrying millivolt-level signals, connecting innumerable cells that define everything we are and do. The ancient Egyptians already knew that different parts of the brain govern different physical functions, and a couple of centuries have passed since physicians entertained crowds by passing currents through corpses to make them seem alive. But only in recent decades have neuroscientists been able to delve deep into the brain’s circuitry.

On 25 January, speaking to a packed audience in CERN’s Theory department, Vijay Balasubramanian of the University of Pennsylvania described a physicist’s approach to solving the brain. Balasubramanian did his PhD in theoretical particle physics at Princeton University and also worked on the UA1 experiment at CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron in the 1980s. Today, his research ranges from string theory to theoretical biophysics, where he applies methodologies common in physics to model the neural topography of information processing in the brain.

“We are using, as far as we can, hard mathematics to make real, quantitative, testable predictions, which is unusual in biology.” — Vijay Balasubramanian

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Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may help people with alcohol dependencies abstain from drinking. Nearly half of those who took the drug as part of a 12-week therapy programme no longer drank more than eight months later, according to results from the largest trial to date on psilocybin and addiction.

Michael Bogenschutz at NYU Langone Health in New York and his colleagues recruited 95 adults who were diagnosed with alcohol dependence. None of the participants had any major psychiatric conditions or had used psychedelics in the past year.

Everyone in the group went through a 12-week therapy programme. Most weeks, they had a roughly 1-hour long session with a therapist and a psychiatrist where they received cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol use disorder.

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