Year 2015 ๐
The power of ratsโ and monkeysโ brains has been pooled by wiring them up. If we could do the same with humans, it could allow non-verbal collaboration.
Category: neuroscience – Page 514
Year 2018 ๐
State-of-the-art software tools for neuronal network simulations scale to the largest computing systems available today and enable investigations of large-scale networks of up to 10% of the human cortex at a resolution of individual neurons and synapses. Due to an upper limit on the number of incoming connections of a single neuron, network connectivity becomes extremely sparse at this scale. To manage computational costs, simulation software ultimately targeting the brain scale needs to fully exploit this sparsity. Here we present a two-tier connection infrastructure and a framework for directed communication among compute nodes accounting for the sparsity of brain-scale networks. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by implementing the technology in the NEST simulation code and we investigate its performance in different scaling scenarios of typical network simulations. Our results show that the new data structures and communication scheme prepare the simulation kernel for post-petascale high-performance computing facilities without sacrificing performance in smaller systems.
Modern neuroscience has established numerical simulation as a third pillar supporting the investigation of the dynamics and function of neuronal networks, next to experimental and theoretical approaches. Simulation software reflects the diversity of modern neuroscientific research with tools ranging from the molecular scale to investigate processes at individual synapses (Wils and De Schutter, 2009) to whole-brain simulations at the population level that can be directly related to clinical measures (Sanz Leon et al., 2013). Most neuronal network simulation software, however, is based on the hypothesis that the main processes of brain function can be captured at the level of individual nerve cells and their interactions through electrical pulses. Since these pulses show little variation in shape, it is generally believed that they convey information only through their timing or rate of occurrence.
After injecting moderate doses of the dissociative anesthetic into the animals, previously โawakeโ brain cells go dark, and those that had been dormant suddenly light up.
In the underground movement known as, people are taking their health into their own hands. Biohacking ranges from people making simple lifestyle changes to extreme body modifications.
One popular form of focuses on nutrigenomics, where biohackers study how the foods they eat affect their genes over time. They believe they can map and track the way their diet affects genetic function. They use dietary restrictions and blood tests, while tracking their moods, energy levels, behaviors, and cognitive abilities.
Then there are grinders, a subculture of A grinder believes thereโs a hack for every part of the body. Rather than attempting to modify our existing biology, grinders seek to enhance it with implanted technology.
The BACE1 enzyme has a rate-limiting role in the amyloidogenic pathway (see Glossary) and has been extensively studied for its neuronal functions[1]. Since 2000, intensive efforts have focused on developing small-molecule BACE1 inhibitors to reduce amyloid ฮฒ (Aฮฒ) production in Alzheimerโs disease (AD) brains. However, human clinical trials involving most BACE1 inhibitors were stopped at Phase 2/3 due to limited therapeutic benefits[2]. BACE1 inhibitors act by reducing Aฮฒ-related pathologies in AD brains, that is, they are used to treat the symptoms rather than the underlying disease.
When the makers of electronic implants abandon their projects, people who rely on the devices have everything to lose.
Huntingtonโs disease (HD) is a neurological disorder that causes progressive loss of movement, coordination and cognitive function. It is caused by a mutation in a single gene called huntingtin (HTT). More than 200,000 people worldwide live with the genetic condition, approximately 30,000 in the United States. More than a quarter of a million Americans are at risk of inheriting HD from an affected parent. There is no cure.
But in a new study, published December 12, 2022 in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, describe using RNA-targeting CRISPR/Cas13D technology to develop a new therapeutic strategy that specifically eliminates toxic RNA that causes HD.
CRISPR is known as a genome-editing tool that allows scientists to add, remove or alter genetic material at specific locations in the genome. It is based on a naturally occurring immune defense system used by bacteria. However, current strategies run the risk of off-target edits at unintended sites that may cause permanent and inheritable chromosomal insertions or genome alterations. Because of this, significant efforts have focused on identifying CRISPR systems that target RNA directly without altering the genome.
Summary: A new study aims to investigate the interaction between the digestive and nervous systems, or the gut-brain axis, to discover more about the links between digestive health and neurodegenerative diseases.
Source: FAU
How do the gut and the brain interact, and can this even trigger disease?
๐๐๐-๐-๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ
๐ผ ๐พ๐ผ๐-๐-๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐๐จ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ก๐๐ช๐๐๐ก (๐๐ญ๐-๐๐๐ก) ๐๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐/๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง๐, ๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐-๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐พ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐จ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ 64๐ฉ๐ ๐ผ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐ฎ (๐ผ๐๐) ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ช๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐.
A CAR-T-cell therapy known as axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is safe and shows encouraging signs of efficacy in a small pilot trial involving patients with lymphoma of the brain and/or spinal cord, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators report at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.
The research features an in-depth, molecular study of individual CAR-T cells isolated from patientsโ blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This unprecedented analysis, conducted in collaboration with the Cellular Therapeutics and Systems Immunology Lab (CTSI), directed by Leslie Kean, MD, PhD, at Dana-Farber and Boston Childrenโs Hospital, reveals a surprising difference between the two CAR-T-cell populations: the cells in the CSF display a molecular signature that indicates activation of the interferon pathway, an important step in rallying the immune system. These studies are reported in two oral abstracts at ASH. โFor many patients with lymphoma of the central nervous system, there arenโt great treatment options,โ said Dana-Farberโs Caron Jacobson, MD, MMSc, who led the trial and will present the findings at ASH. โOur early results suggest that expanding the applicability of CAR-T cells to this indication could improve patient outcomes.โ
Lymphomas can begin within the brain or spinal cord, or the tumors can spread to those sites (known collectively as the central nervous system or CNS) after they originate in other parts of the body. While the underlying biology of these primary and secondary CNS lymphomas can be quite different, these cancers are often difficult to treat, especially once the tumors evade standard treatments. In that case, patients typically do not live more than 2 years.
Bees may feel pain
Posted in mathematics, neuroscience
We swat bees to avoid painful stings, but do they feel the pain we inflict? A new study suggests they do, a possible clue that they and other insects have sentienceโthe ability to be aware of their feelings.
โItโs an impressive piece of workโ with important implications, says Jonathan Birch, a philosopher and expert on animal sentience at the London School of Economics who was not involved with the paper. If the study holds up, he says, โthe world contains far more sentient beings than we ever realized.โ
Previous research has shown honey bees and bumble bees are intelligent, innovative, creatures. They understand the concept of zero, can do simple math, and distinguish among human faces (and probably bee faces, too). Theyโre usually optimistic when successfully foraging, but can become depressed if momentarily trapped by a predatory spider. Even when a bee escapes a spider, โher demeanor changes; for days after, sheโs scared of every flower,โ says Lars Chittka, a cognitive scientist at Queen Mary University of London whose lab carried out that study as well as the new research. โThey were experiencing an emotional state.โ