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Category: neuroscience – Page 51

The brain tries to repair damage after a stroke by utilizing its own repair cells, which function like skilled craftsmen. However, their efforts are often obstructed by inflammation, according to new research from the University of Southern Denmark and the University.

A new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Molecular Medicine at SDU highlights one of the most severe consequences of stroke: damage to the brain’s “cables”—the nerve fibers—which results in permanent impairments. Based on unique tissue samples from Denmark’s Brain Bank at SDU, the study could pave the way for new treatments to help the brain repair itself.

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Can you trust your senses? Do animals have morals? Is your mind deceiving you?

Find out in BRAIN JOB: Perception, where we explore mind-bending phenomena like change blindness, the Trolley Problem, time travel, and more.

Thanks to museum of illusions chicago.

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In a study published in Cell, a research team led by Zhu Shujia from the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), along with Li Yang from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of CAS, has dissected the assembly and architecture of endogenous N-methyl-ᴅ-aspartate receptors (eNMDARs) in the adult mammalian cerebral cortex and hippocampus.

Learning and memory are fundamental brain functions that underlie and perception of the world, which rely on development-and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. NMDA receptors, members of the excitatory ionotropic glutamate receptor family, are essential to these processes.

They regulate the strength of synaptic connections, playing a critical role in advanced brain functions. In higher brain structures involved in cognition, such as the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, they are especially vital for cognitive function.

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A new Tulane University study suggests the Mediterranean diet’s brain-boosting benefits may work by changing the balance of bacteria in the gut.

In a study published in Gut Microbes Reports, researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine found that subjects following a Mediterranean diet developed distinctly different gut bacteria patterns compared to those eating a typical Western diet. These bacterial changes correlated with better memory and cognitive performance.

“We’ve known that what we eat affects brain function, but this study explores how that could be happening,” said lead author Rebecca Solch-Ottaiano, Ph.D., neurology research instructor at Tulane’s Clinical Neuroscience Research Center. “Our findings suggest that dietary choices can influence cognitive performance by reshaping the gut microbiome.”

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The axon initial segment (AIS) is where nerve signals begin, and its adaptability is key to brain function. Scientists have found that the AIS changes in response to activity levels, helping neurons maintain balance. By using advanced imaging techniques, they have observed these changes live for the first time, deepening our understanding of brain plasticity.

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Summary: Delayed rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that participants with delayed REM sleep had higher levels of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports memory.

Delayed REM sleep disrupts memory consolidation and increases stress hormone levels, which can impair the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory. The findings emphasize the importance of healthy sleep habits and suggest that treatments targeting sleep patterns may influence Alzheimer’s progression.

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Summary: New research highlights a functional hierarchy in the brain’s processing of space and time. In posterior areas, like the occipital cortex, space and time are tightly linked and processed by the same neurons.

In anterior regions, such as the frontal cortex, space and time are processed independently, with distinct neural populations forming “time maps” for specific durations. Intermediate regions, like the parietal cortex, display mixed processing mechanisms, bridging spatial and temporal integration.

This study offers fresh insights into how the brain integrates two fundamental dimensions of human experience and reveals the unique coding strategies across cortical regions.

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Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found a promising drug candidate that could help restore vision in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions that damage neurons.

The study was published this week in the journal Nature Communications.

The drug, LL-341070, enhances the brain’s ability to repair damaged — the protective sheath around nerve fibers. Damage to myelin is a hallmark of diseases like MS, as well as a natural consequence of aging, often resulting in , loss of motor skills, and cognitive decline.

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The divide between their lineage and ours narrowed even further in 2010, when researchers published the first Neandertal genome sequence. Comparison of that ancient DNA with modern human DNA showed that the two species had interbred and that people today still carry the genetic fingerprint of that intermixing. Since then, numerous studies have explored the ways in which Neandertal DNA affects our modern physiology, revolutionizing our understanding not only of our extinct cousins but of ourselves as a hybrid species.

This area of research, clinical paleogenomics, is still in its infancy, and there are many complexities to unravel as we explore this new frontier. We therefore must take the findings from these studies with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the research conducted to date raises the fascinating possibility that Neandertal DNA has wide-­reach­ing effects on our species—not only on general health but on brain development, including our propensity for conditions such as autism. In other words, DNA from our extinct relatives may, to some extent, shape the cognition of people today.

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This old talk by Daniel Dennett touches on a lot of topics we’ve discussed recently. Dennett explains why it’s wrong to regard phenomenal consciousness (the “what it’s likeness” or “raw experience” version) as separate from access consciousness (the cognitive access of information for decision making, memory, report, etc).

Note that Dennett doesn’t deny the existence of phenomenal consciousness here, just the idea that it’s something separate and apart from access. He even passes up opportunities to dismiss qualia, although he does provide a reduction of them.

This video is about 66 minutes long. Unfortunately the video and sound quality aren’t great, and the camera operation is annoying, but the talk is worth powering through.

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