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Category: neuroscience – Page 711

Scientists made this rat fearless

Neuroscientists removed fear from rats by inactivating amygdala — brain region mediating fear.

#Neuroscience #Brain #YuriNeuro #Neurobiology #Amygdala.

Timecodes:
0:00-Introduction.
0:17-Amygdala role in fear regulation.
0:45-Difficulties in exploring prey-predator interaction.
1:02-Lego robot to simulate a predator. Robogator (LEGO Mindstorms robot)
1:53-Fear response before the amygdala inactivation.
2:33-Fear response aftert the amygdala inactivation.
3:59-Amygdala is one of the key regions of the fear regulation.
4:50 — Human-based experiments on the electrical stimulation of amygdala.
6:01-Future prospects. Optogenetics.
6:34-Share your ideas and emotions in the comments.

In this video I review a scientific neuroscience publication :“Amygdala regulates risk of predation in rats foraging in a dynamic fear environment” from University of Washington and Korea University, Seoul. The scientific paper addresses the mechanism of fear regulation in rats. Neuroscientists inactivated neurons of the brain region regulating fear — amygdala. In order to inactivate amygdala neurons neurobiologists applied GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. In this way neuroscientists made the rat fearless. Neurobiologists simulated fear enviroment by using lego robot — Robogator (LEGO Mindstorms robot) programmed to surge toward the animal as it emerges from the nesting area in search of food.

Neuroscientists also increased the activity of amygdala neurons by applying GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide. In this way neuroscience researchers increased the fear response of the laboratory rodent.

Similar role of amygdala in fear regulation was demonstrated for humans. For instance, in 2007 neuro researchers from Universite de Provence from France in their paper :” Emotion induction after direct intracerebral stimulations of human amygdala ” electrically stimulated amygdala and could induce negative emotions that were either verbally self-reported by a participant or measured by physiological markers such as skin conductance.

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Dr Spring Behrouz, PhD — Mitophagy, CNS Disorders, And Aging — CEO, Vincere Bio / NeuroInitiative

Mitochondrial Quality Control (Mitophagy), CNS Disorders, and Aging — Dr. Spring Behrouz, Ph.D., CEO, Vincere Biosciences Inc. / CEO, Neuroinitiative LLC.

Dr. Bahareh (Spring) Behrouz, PhD, is the CEO of Vincere Biosciences Inc (https://vincerebio.com/), a biotech company focused on developing novel, small molecule therapeutics targeting mitochondrial pathways and the improvement of mitochondrial quality.

Dr. Behrouz is also the CEO of NeuroInitiative, LLC (https://www.neuroinitiative.com/), a computational biology company she co-founded in 2014, which develops simulations of disease using their patented software platform. A core focus of her research at NeuroInitiative is on the elucidation of complex, converging pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neuro-degenerative brain disorder which dramatically effects movement, which nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with, and 10 million patients worldwide.

Dr. Behrouz received her graduate training at Michigan State University in the laboratory of Dr. John Goudreau and studied differential susceptibility of dopaminergic neuron sub-types in models of PD. She completed her post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Farrer at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where she primarily focused on in-vivo and primary culture models of LRRK2-mediated pathogenesis and was part of the team that discovered a new pathogenic mutation in VPS35.

Scientists reverse age-related memory loss in mice

Scientists at Cambridge and Leeds have successfully reversed age-related memory loss in mice and say their discovery could lead to the development of treatments to prevent memory loss in people as they age.

In a study published today in Molecular Psychiatry, the team show that changes in the extracellular matrix of the brain — ‘scaffolding’ around nerve cells—lead to loss of with aging, but that it is possible to reverse these using genetic treatments.

Recent evidence has emerged of the role of perineuronal nets (PNNs) in neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to learn and adapt—and to make memories. PNNs are cartilage-like structures that mostly surround inhibitory neurons in the brain. Their main function is to control the level of plasticity in the brain. They appear at around five years old in humans, and turn off the period of enhanced plasticity during which the connections in the brain are optimized. Then, plasticity is partially turned off, making the brain more efficient but less plastic.

Neurotransmitter Levels Predict Math Ability

Summary: A new study found a person’s math ability was linked to levels of GABA and glutamate in the brain. In children, greater math fluency was associated with higher GABA levels in the left intraparietal sulcus, while lower levels of GABA were linked to math ability in adults. The reverse was true for glutamate in both children and adults.

Source: PLOS

The neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate have complementary roles — GABA inhibits neurons, while glutamate makes them more active.

Preclinical study finds success in reversing age-related memory loss

“What is exciting about this is that although our study was only in mice, the same mechanism should operate in humans – the molecules and structures in the human brain are the same as those in rodents,” says Fawcett. “This suggests that it may be possible to prevent humans from developing memory loss in old age.”

An intriguing new study from researchers in the United Kingdom is proposing an innovative method to treat age-related memory loss. The preclinical research shows memory decline in aging mice can be reversed by manipulating the composition of structures in the brain known as perineuronal nets.

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are structures in the brain that envelop certain subsets of neurons, helping stabilize synaptic activity. They essentially put the brakes on the neuroplasticity seen in the first few years of life.

Although PNNs are vital to the effective functioning of a mature adult brain, by their very nature they also limit future neural plasticity and adaptability. A new wave of research is beginning to investigate ways to modulate PNNs in adult brains in the hope of treating a variety of diseases from diabetes to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Nature has learnt how to eat our plastic!

Nature always finds a way…so they say! But it looks like it may actually be true in the case of our global plastic waste dilemma. Genetic mutations have been discovered in specific natural bacteria that enable them to break the polymer chains of certain plastics. Where have we found these bacteria? Well…in plastic recycling dumps of course. So, gloves and masks on everyone. We’re going in!

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Can consciousness be explained by quantum physics? Research is closer to finding out

One of the most important open questions in science is how our consciousness is established. In the 1990s, long before winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for his prediction of black holes, physicist Roger Penrose teamed up with anaesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff to propose an ambitious answer.

They claimed that the brain’s neuronal system forms an intricate network and that the consciousness this produces should obey the rules of quantum mechanics —the theory that determines how tiny particles like electrons move around. This, they argue, could explain the mysterious complexity of human consciousness.

Penrose and Hameroff were met with incredulity. Quantum mechanical laws are usually only found to apply at very low temperatures. Quantum computers, for example, currently operate at around -272°C. At higher temperatures, classical mechanics takes over. Since our body works at room temperature, you would expect it to be governed by the classical laws of physics. For this reason, the quantum consciousness theory has been dismissed outright by many scientists—though others are persuaded supporters.

Mind the gap: State-of-the-art technologies and applications for EEG-based brain–computer interfaces

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) provide bidirectional communication between the brain and output devices that translate user intent into function. Among the different brain imaging techniques used to operate BCIs, electroencephalography (EEG) constitutes the preferred method of choice, owing to its relative low cost, ease of use, high temporal resolution, and noninvasiveness. In recent years, significant progress in wearable technologies and computational intelligence has greatly enhanced the performance and capabilities of EEG-based BCIs (eBCIs) and propelled their migration out of the laboratory and into real-world environments. This rapid translation constitutes a paradigm shift in human–machine interaction that will deeply transform different industries in the near future, including healthcare and wellbeing, entertainment, security, education, and marketing. In this contribution, the state-of-the-art in wearable biosensing is reviewed, focusing on the development of novel electrode interfaces for long term and noninvasive EEG monitoring. Commercially available EEG platforms are surveyed, and a comparative analysis is presented based on the benefits and limitations they provide for eBCI development. Emerging applications in neuroscientific research and future trends related to the widespread implementation of eBCIs for medical and nonmedical uses are discussed. Finally, a commentary on the ethical, social, and legal concerns associated with this increasingly ubiquitous technology is provided, as well as general recommendations to address key issues related to mainstream consumer adoption.

When Will Neuralink Be Available To Everyone?

When will Neuralink be available to healthy individuals? It’s difficult to find a coherent train of thought pertaining to this question specifically.

Recently, I’ve started thinking more in terms of regulatory approval rather than rough timeline estimates. This sent me down a fascinating path learning more about how medical devices in general make it through “the system.”

This video essay hopefully ties together that research in an accessible way that addresses the topic more directly.

Cheers.

Andrew.