UW–Madison researchers used gene therapy to prevent hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) in a rat model, introducing a healthy version of the Trk-fused gene to compensate for the mutated one. This prevented the onset of HSP symptoms in rats.
Category: neuroscience – Page 62
Understanding how new neurons affect brain function throughout adulthood can offer new approaches to treating epilepsy and dementia.
A recent study found associations between cognitive-behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder, reduced maladaptive beliefs about possessions, and changes in brain activity during discarding tasks.
A recent study by the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care reveals that an area of the brain distinct from the stroke lesion may play a significant role in causing the life-altering symptoms with which survivors are often left, which can include severe challenges with speech, mobility and cognition. These results provide hope that innovative, non-invasive treatments could help improve or even fully reverse post-stroke symptoms.
Strokes (which more than 100,000 Canadians suffer every year) leave behind an area where brain cells have died, called a lesion. However, this cannot explain the widespread consequences of stroke, limiting scientists’ and clinicians’ ability to treat them.
The study, titled “Secondary thalamic dysfunction underlies abnormal large-scale neural dynamics in chronic stroke,” published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that degeneration of the thalamus—an area of the brain distinct from the stroke lesion—is a significant contributor to post-stroke symptoms.
Inhibiting TLR7, an immune signaling protein, may help preserve the protective layer surrounding nerve fibers in the brain during both Alzheimer’s disease and ordinary aging, suggests a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The research is published in the journal Science.
Most nerve fibers in vertebrates are encased in sheaths made largely of myelin, a protein that protects the fibers and greatly enhances the efficiency of their signal conduction. The destruction of myelin sheaths—demyelination—can occur in the context of brain inflammation and can lead to cognitive, movement and other neurological problems. The phenomenon is seen in multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions, as well as in ordinary aging.
Demyelination-linked disorders often show sex differences, and in the study, the researchers looked for underlying mechanisms of demyelination that might help explain these differences. Their experiments in mouse models of Alzheimer’s uncovered TLR7 as a driver of inflammatory demyelination especially in males, but also showed that removing or inhibiting this immune protein can protect against demyelination in both males and females.
Summary: Researchers identified a brain circuit involving the amygdala and hippocampus that predicts resilience to stress in mice. Mice with disrupted neural communication in this circuit struggled to seek rewards, but activating the neurons restored resilience and improved decision-making.
Using chemogenetics, the team stimulated brain activity in less resilient mice, which then displayed normal behavior and sought sweetened water. This breakthrough suggests potential new, non-invasive treatments for chronic stress and depression in humans, with researchers now exploring similar patterns in human brains.
When conventional non-invasive treatments for psychiatric diseases fail, clinicians inevitably have to consider brain surgery. However, brain surgery for psychiatric diseases has long been taboo among the general public due to the infamous history of lobotomy. Thankfully, advancements in brain surgery in recent years are changing the narrative.
Bilateral capsulotomy, more commonly known as deep brain stimulation, is a form of brain surgery that has been garnering attention in treating treatment-resistant or refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients with refractory OCD experience a debilitating degree of repetitive behaviors and thoughts that they are unable to control, thus downgrading their quality of life.
A group of researchers from South Korea demonstrated that a novel non-invasive bilateral capsulotomy called magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) capsulotomy is efficacious and safe in treating refractory OCD for up to two years. MRgFUS capsulotomy non-invasively and precisely ablates tissues in the brain region of interest. However, the sustained efficacy of this treatment option was unclear.
Researchers have developed a liquid ink that can be printed directly onto the scalp to monitor brain activity, offering a less intrusive alternative to traditional EEG setups.
This ink enables the creation of e-tattoos that accurately track brainwaves and maintain connectivity over extended periods. These innovations could drastically change the application of brain-computer interface technologies, making them more comfortable and efficient for users.
Innovative liquid ink for brain activity monitoring.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in communication and social behavior. Approximately 20% of cases are linked to a specific genetic mutation, but the origin of the remaining 80%, known as idiopathic autism, remains a mystery.
A team of scientists led by Drs. Raúl Méndez and Xavier Salvatella at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has identified a molecular mechanism that explains why certain alternations of the neuronal protein CPEB4 are associated with idiopathic autism.
The study is based on previous work published in 2018 that identified CPEB4 as a key protein in the regulation of neuronal proteins related to autism.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and collaborating institutions report in the journal Cell the discovery of BHB-Phe, a novel compound produced by the body that regulates appetite and body weight through interactions with neurons in the brain.
Until now, BHB has been known as a compound produced by the liver to be used as fuel. However, in recent years, scientists have found that BHB increases in the body after fasting or exercise, prompting interest in investigating potential beneficial applications in obesity and diabetes.
In the current study, the team at Stanford University led by co-corresponding author Dr. Jonathan Z. Long, associate professor of pathology, discovered that BHB also participates in another metabolic pathway. In this case, an enzyme called CNDP2 joins BHB to amino acids. Furthermore, the most abundant BHB-amino acid, BHB-Phe, can influence body weight and metabolism in animal models.