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Category: neuroscience – Page 634

Analysis: Eisai’s trial success raises hope for Alzheimer’s prevention

CHICAGO, Sept 30 (Reuters) — Clear evidence this week that Eisai (4523.T) and Biogen’s (BIIB.O) drug lecanemab slows cognitive decline in early stage dementia has galvanized efforts among Alzheimer’s researchers toward a tantalizing goal — preventing dementia even before symptoms start.

Lecanemab is an antibody that targets and removes toxic clumps of a protein called amyloid beta that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. Results from the companies’ 1,800-patient trial released on Tuesday showed convincingly that doing so also slows the advance of the mind-robbing disease.

In volunteers with mild cognitive impairment and early stage dementia, the drug showed a 27% reduction in cognitive decline after 18 months compared with those who got a placebo.

Viral infections including COVID are among the important causes of dementia. One more reason to consider vaccination

With more of us living into old age than at any other time, dementia is increasing steadily worldwide, with major individual, family, societal and economic consequences.

Treatment remains largely ineffective and aspects of the underlying pathophysiology are still unclear. But there is good evidence that —and their manifestation as dementia—are not an inevitable consequence of aging.

Many causes of dementia, including viral infections, are preventable.

Alzheimer’s drug study yields positive results, say makers Eisai and Biogen

Sept 27 (Reuters) — An experimental Alzheimer’s drug made by Eisai Co Ltd (4523.T) and Biogen (BIIB.O) slowed cognitive and functional decline in a large trial of patients in the early stages of the disease, they said on Tuesday, potentially a rare win in a field littered with failed drugs.

Multiple drugmakers have so far tried and failed to find an effective treatment for the brain-wasting disease that affects about 55 million people globally. A breakthrough would be a major boost to similar studies being run by Roche and Eli Lilly.

Speaking of the Eisai-Biogen drug results announced late on Tuesday night, Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota said: “It’s not a huge effect, but it’s a positive effect”.

Team develops method for neural net computing in water

Microprocessors in smartphones, computers, and data centers process information by manipulating electrons through solid semiconductors, but our brains have a different system. They rely on the manipulation of ions in liquid to process information.

Inspired by the brain, researchers have long been seeking to develop “ionics” in an . While ions in water move slower than electrons in semiconductors, scientists think the diversity of ionic species with different physical and chemical properties could be harnessed for richer and more diverse information processing.

Ionic computing, however, is still in its early days. To date, labs have only developed individual ionic devices such as ionic diodes and transistors, but no one has put many such devices together into a more complex circuit for computing until now.

It’s official: Dogs can sniff out stress on humans’ breath and sweat

Dogs are amazing, and we all know it.

Dogs do a lot for us. They sniff out diseases, lead those who are blind or visually impaired, and search for humans in disaster areas. And it would come as no surprise if we told you that they could detect stress through humans’ sweat and breath, as well.

Researchers from Queen’s University, Belfast, collected sweat and breath samples of 36 participants before and after they handled a tense mental arithmetic task.

Queen’s University Belfast.

A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE has revealed just that.

Closer Study of Major Autism Gene Suggests Possible Treatment Approach

In adult mice with loss of CHD8 gene function, FDA-approved drug partially restores disrupted brain cell production

CINCINNATI, Sept. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Research led by a scientist at Cincinnati Children’s who primarily studies brain tumors may open doors for improved treatment of autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about one in 40 children between ages 3 and 17, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health. Those affected often experience difficulty socializing, impaired language development, repetitive behaviors, and other symptoms. Of those tested for various genes linked to the condition, nearly everyone with disruptive mutations of the gene CHD8 has autism.

Battle Erupts Over Alleged Grisly Photos of Brain-Hacked Neuralink Monkeys

A California university is refusing to release a cache of grisly photos of monkeys reportedly injured during experiments testing Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain implant technology, in spite of a lawsuit aiming to force the school’s hand.

In a press release, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) advocacy group said that it had learned that the University of California, Davis is in possession of 371 photos of the experimented-upon monkeys that were subjected to Neuralink tests, which took place at the school’s veterinary lab facilities.

Earlier this year, Neuralink admitted that a fifth of the 23 rhesus macaques monkeys it used to test its brain-hacking implants had been euthanized after developing infections and malfunctions. Bolstering PCRM’s credibility, that admission came in the wake of its a complaint it filed against Neuralink.

7 Harmful Side Effects of Excessive Consumption of Green Tea

Research and blogs talk a lot about the health benefits of green tea. It’s rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, which have positive influences on our physical and mental well-being. Some studies show that green tea can boost metabolism, reduce inflammation and improve cognitive function.

But what’s less talked about are the side effects of green tea. They may be uncommon, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve discussion! This is of particular importance to those who have caffeine sensitivity or who may be taking certain medications which interact with caffeine and other bioactive components in green tea.

So before you brew yourself a cup, read on about the potential side effects of drinking green tea so you’re fully educated about what you’re consuming.

BrainComp 2022: Experts in neuroscience and computing discuss the digital transformation of neuroscience and benefits of collaborating

A new field of science has been emerging at the intersection of neuroscience and high-performance computing — this is the takeaway from the 2022 BrainComp conference, which took place in Cetraro, Italy from the 19th to the 22nd of September. The meeting, which featured international experts in brain mapping, machine learning, simulation, research infrastructures, neuro-derived hardware, neuroethics and more, strengthened the current collaborations in this emerging field and forged new ones.

Now in its 5th edition, BrainComp first started in 2013 and is jointly organised by the Human Brain Project and the EBRAINS digital research infrastructure, University of Calabria in Italy, the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf and the Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany. It is attended by researchers from inside and outside the Human Brain Project. This year was dedicated to the computational challenges of brain connectivity. The brain is the most complex system in the observable universe due to the tight connections between areas down to the wiring of the individual neurons: decoding this complexity through neuroscientific and computing advances benefits both fields.

Hosted by the organising committee of Katrin Amunts, Scientific Research Director of the HBP, Thomas Lippert, Leader of EBRAINS Computing Services from the Juelich Supercomputing Centre and Lucio Grandinetti from the University of Calabria, the sessions included a variety of topics over four days.

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