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Category: neuroscience – Page 83

Per-and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) earn their “forever chemical” moniker by persisting in water, soil and even the human brain. This unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue makes PFAS particularly concerning, but the underlying mechanism of their neurotoxicity must be studied further.

To that end, a new study by University at Buffalo researchers has identified 11 genes that may hold the key to understanding the brain’s response to these pervasive chemicals commonly found in everyday items. The paper is published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.

These genes, some involved in processes vital for neuronal health, were found to be consistently affected by PFAS exposure, either expressing more or less, regardless of the type of PFAS compounds tested. For example, all compounds caused a gene key for neuronal cell survival to express less, and another gene linked to neuronal cell death to express more.

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Recent research led by UTHealth Houston scientists has uncovered two genes associated with variants linked to epilepsy, which showed specific traits that make them promising diagnostic biomarkers.

The study is published in Nature Communications.

Led by Dennis Lal, Ph.D., director of the Center for Neurogenetics and associate professor of neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, the research team analyzed data from 1,386 human brain tissues for somatic variants in the of individuals undergoing . Somatic variants are DNA changes that occur after conception and can only be identified in the brain tissue.

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Background: Open-world games, characterized by their expansive and interactive environments, may offer unique cognitive escapism opportunities, potentially leading to relaxation and enhanced well-being. These games, such as “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” allow players to experience a sense of freedom and autonomy, which can reduce stress and improve mental health. While previous research has examined the general impact of video games on mental well-being, specific studies on the effects of open-world games among postgraduate students are limited.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationships between cognitive escapism provided by open-world games and their effects on relaxation and well-being. The goal was to understand how the immersive nature of these games contributes to stress reduction and overall mental health improvement among postgraduate students.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was used, which involved in-depth exploratory qualitative interviews and a survey of 609 players of popular open-world games. Quantitative data were collected using standardized questionnaires to measure open-world games’ affordance of cognitive escapism, relaxation, and well-being. Qualitative data were obtained through 32 in-depth interviews that explored players’ experiences and perceptions of cognitive escapism, relaxation, and mental well-being.

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Summary: Researchers have discovered a way to control human body temperature, mimicking the hibernation process of animals like bears. By manipulating the brain’s temperature regulation system, they can induce a state of “thermoregulatory inversion” (TI) in rats, reducing heat production even in cold environments.

This breakthrough could lead to controlled hypothermia in humans, improving survival rates in life-threatening situations like heart attacks and strokes. The discovery opens the door to therapeutic hypothermia, which can protect tissues from damage by lowering metabolism and oxygen demand.

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A new “molecular flashlight” technique allows non-invasive insight into brain pathologies, lighting up the future of neurological research. The probe can reach deep into the brain with minimal damage, earning its designation as a minimally invasive device. It emits an ultra-thin beam of light.

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What if memories didn’t die with us? Scientists are exploring the tantalizing idea of extracting memories from the brains of deceased individuals—a concept that blurs the line between science and fiction. But how close are we to making this a reality? And what ethical dilemmas could arise if we succeeded?

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My new book TEMPORAL MECHANICS is finally here! Ecstadelic Media Group releases Temporal Mechanics: D-Theory as a Critical Upgrade to Our Understanding of the Nature of Time, The Seminal Papers series (Vol. I) by Alex M. Vikoulov as a Kindle eBook (Press Release, Burlingame, CA, USA)

*Check/preview eBook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHL9GCW8?tag=lifeboatfound-20

Alternatively, buy downloadable PDF of this paper on EcstadelicNET: https://www.ecstadelic.net/store/c1/featured-products.

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Ecstadelic Media Group releases a new Kindle eBook Temporal Mechanics: D-Theory as a Critical Upgrade to Our Understnding of the Nature of Time by Alex M. Vikoulov on January 5, 2025.

Continue reading “Temporal Mechanics: D-Theory as a Critical Upgrade to Our Understanding of the Nature of Time by Alex M. Vikoulov” | >

Our brain’s memory center bears a sleek design.

A peek into living tissue from human hippocampi, a brain region crucial for memory and learning, revealed relatively few cell-to-cell connections for the vast number of nerve cells. But signals sent via those sparse connections proved extremely reliable and precise, researchers report December 11 in Cell.

One seahorse-shaped hippocampus sits deep within each hemisphere of the mammalian brain. In each hippocampus’s CA3 area, humans have about 1.7 million nerve cells called pyramidal cells. This subregion is thought to be the most internally connected part of the brain in mammals.

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What if the secret to slowing down aging was hiding in our brains? A groundbreaking study by researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, published in Nature in January 2025, may have uncovered some exciting clues. Using cutting-edge technology, the team analyzed over 1.2 million brain cells from young and aged mice to understand how they change with time. They found that certain cells become inflamed, while others lose critical functions, and all eyes are now on the hypothalamus as a key player in the aging process. These findings deepen our understanding of aging and could pave the way for treatments that keep our brains younger for longer.

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Integrated into a high-resolution wireless biosensing device, the antennas could enable researchers to decode complex electrical signals generated by cells.

Monitoring electrical signals in biological systems allows scientists to study how cells communicate, providing valuable insights that can improve the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as arrhythmia and Alzheimer’s disease.

But devices that record electrical signals in cell cultures and other liquid environments often use wires to connect each electrode on the device to its respective amplifier. Because only so many wires can be connected to the device, this restricts the number of recording sites, limiting the information that can be collected from cells.

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