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Category: neuroscience – Page 73

Discovery of a new analgesic promises pain relief with fewer downsides

Opioids like morphine are widely used in medical practice due to their powerful pain-relieving effects, yet they carry the risk of serious adverse effects such as respiratory depression and drug dependence. For this reason, Japan has strict regulations in place to ensure that these medications are prescribed only by authorized physicians.

In the United States, the opioid OxyContin was once frequently prescribed, triggering a surge in the misuse of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. As a result, the number of deaths caused by surpassed 80,000 in 2023, escalating into a national public health crisis now referred to as the “opioid crisis.”

Opioids may soon have a rival, however. A team of researchers at Kyoto University has recently discovered a novel analgesic, or , that exerts its effect through an entirely different mechanism. Clinical development of their drug ADRIANA is currently underway as part of an international collaborative effort.

Imaging provides indicators for early detection of depression, paths for future prevention and treatment efforts

Novel imaging research indicates that young adults with a higher genetic risk for depression showed less brain activity in several areas when responding to rewards and punishments. The study also uncovered notable differences between men and women.

The findings from this new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, highlight potential early indicators for depression before clinical symptoms fully manifest.

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, and many people with depression have trouble processing rewards and punishments.

Focused ultrasound excites cortical neurons via mechanosensitive calcium accumulation and ion channel amplification

The mechanisms underlying the effects of ultrasonic modulation of neural activity are unclear. Here, the authors show that focused ultrasound excites cultured primary murine cortical neurons via calcium accumulation through specific mechanosensitive ion channels.

Tracing brain chemistry across humanity’s family tree

The evolutionary success of our species may have hinged on minute changes to our brain biochemistry after we diverged from the lineage leading to Neanderthals and Denisovans about half a million years ago.

Two of these tiny changes that set modern humans apart from Neanderthals and Denisovans affect the stability and genetic expression of the adenylosuccinate lyase, or ADSL. This enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of purine, one of the fundamental building blocks of DNA, RNA, and other important biomolecules.

In a study published in PNAS, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany have discovered that these changes may play an important role in our behavior, contributing new pieces to the great puzzle of who we humans are and where we come from.

A neurofunctional signature of affective arousal generalizes across valence domains and distinguishes subjective experience from autonomic reactivity

Using fMRI, this study developed a brain signature for affective arousal that demonstrates high sensitivity across valence while remaining distinct from autonomic arousal and wakefulness, offering broad applications.

Altered protein translation elongation contributes to brain aging

The GFP gene, which has its origins in jellyfish, expresses proteins that fluoresce when illuminated with certain frequencies of light. Poeschla, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reported his results in the journal Nature Methods.

This function is regularly used by scientists to monitor the activity of individual genes or cells in a wide variety of animals. The development and refinement of the GFP technique earned its scientific pioneers the Nobel prize for chemistry in 2008.

In the case of the glowing cats, the scientists hope to use the GM animals in the study of HIV/AIDS.

World’s largest-scale brain-like computer with 2 billion neurons unveiled

Engineers in China unveiled a new generation of brain-like computer that mimics the workings of a macaque monkey’s brain.

Called Darwin Monkey, the system reportedly supports over 2 billion spiking neurons and more than 100 billion synapses, with a neuron count approaching that of a macaque brain.

Reports have revealed that the system consumes approximately 2,000 watts of power under typical operating conditions.

Newly discovered ‘sixth sense’ links gut microbes to the brain in real time

In a breakthrough that reimagines the way the gut and brain communicate, researchers have uncovered what they call a “neurobiotic sense,” a newly identified system that lets the brain respond in real time to signals from microbes living in our gut.

The new research, led by Duke University School of Medicine neuroscientists Diego Bohórquez, Ph.D., and M. Maya Kaelberer, Ph.D., published in Nature, centers on neuropods, tiny sensor cells lining the colon’s epithelium. These cells detect a common microbial protein and send rapid messages to the brain that help curb appetite.

But this is just the beginning. The team believes this neurobiotic sense may be a broader platform for understanding how the gut detects microbes, influencing everything from eating habits to mood—and even how the brain might shape the microbiome in return.

First-Of-Its-Kind Vagus Nerve Implant Gets FDA Approval As A Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

The existing treatment options include biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, which some patients find hard to tolerate, and around 50 percent of patients discontinue their therapies within two years. SetPoint’s goal is to provide an alternative that can effectively manage autoimmune conditions without suppressing the immune system.

Its FDA approval follows a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study that followed 242 patients. It showed that the therapy was well-tolerated with a low level of serious adverse events related to it (1.7 percent). It also provides a long-term solution for patients living with this chronic disease.

“The approval of the SetPoint System highlights the potential of neuroimmune modulation as a novel approach for autoimmune disease, by harnessing the body’s neural pathways to combat inflammation,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr Mark Richardson, Director of Functional Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Neurosciences at Harvard Medical School, in a statement. “After implantation during a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, the SetPoint device is programmed to automatically administer therapy on a predetermined schedule for up to 10 years, simplifying care for people living with RA.”

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