Lifeboat Foundation

“Like you often have to do in science, we first hit the problem with a hammer to see how the system breaks, then backtrack from there,” Simpson said.

By that she means that in order to determine if the gut microbiome influenced drug addiction, they first needed to compare an organism with a normal gut microbiome to one without. To do that, the researchers gave some rats antibiotics that depleted 80 percent of their gut microbes. All of the rats — those with and without gut microbes — were dependent on the prescription opioid pain reliever oxycodone. Then some of the rats from each group went into withdrawal.

“To me, the most surprising thing was that the rats all seemed the same on the surface,” George said. “There weren’t any major changes in the pain-relieving effect of opioids, or symptoms of withdrawal or other behavior between the rats with and without gut microbes.”

It wasn’t until the team looked at the rats’ brains that they saw a significant difference. The typical pattern of neuron recruitment to different parts of the brain during intoxication and withdrawal was disrupted in rats that had been treated with antibiotics, and thus lacked most of their gut microbes. Most notably, during intoxication, rats with depleted gut microbes had more activated neurons in the regions of the brain that regulate stress and pain (periaqueductal gray, locus coeruleus) and regions involved in opioid intoxication and withdrawal (central amygdala, basolateral amygdala). During withdrawal, microbe-depleted rats had fewer activated neurons in the central amygdala, as compared to rats with normal gut microbiomes.

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Researchers in Finland can now scan two people together, showing that touching synchronizes couple’s brains, making them mirror each other’s movements.

A group of researchers has demonstrated that treatment with NMN, a precursor of NAD+, restores neurovascular coupling (NVC) in aged mice [1]. Since NVC deficiency seems to be a major factor in the age-related decline of cognitive and motor functions, this discovery presents exciting new possibilities for longevity research.

Neurovascular coupling

While the human brain is the evolutionary advantage that brought us to where we are today, operating this machine requires considerable resources. Our cerebral blood flow (CBF) accounts for 15% of cardiac output and 20% of resting total oxygen consumption, even though the brain itself comprises just 2% of body mass. CBF has to be constantly redirected to the regions of the brain that are currently active, and NVC is the mechanism in charge of this complex operation. Importantly, the CBF/cardiac output ratio decreases with age [2].

Can we study AI the same way we study lab rats? Researchers at DeepMind and Harvard University seem to think so. They built an AI-powered virtual rat that can carry out multiple complex tasks. Then, they used neuroscience techniques to understand how its artificial “brain” controls its movements.

Today’s most advanced AI is powered by artificial neural networks —machine learning algorithms made up of layers of interconnected components called “neurons” that are loosely inspired by the structure of the brain. While they operate in very different ways, a growing number of researchers believe drawing parallels between the two could both improve our understanding of neuroscience and make smarter AI.

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Some women with severe anorexia have returned to a healthy weight and feel less anxious and depressed after having electrical devices implanted into their brains, according to a small study. But more research is needed before the treatment can be recommended for wider use.

Patent describes system that rewards users with digital currency every time they view an advertisement or use a certain internet service.

The key appears to be lateralization, meaning the specialization of different sides of the brain for different functions.

Paralysis used to mean a life sentence of immobility with no way out—until now.

Back in 2010, Ian Burkhart suffered a devastating injury that would leave him mostly paralyzed. Even though he was still able to move his shoulders and elbows, he had lost sensation in his hands. That was until Patrick Ganzer at Battelle Memorial Institute fast-forwarded biotech into the future by developing a brain implant that would turn Burkhart’s life around. When the implant connects to a specialized brain-computer interface, it does something that has never been done before and has restored both movement and touch in his right hand.