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Category: neuroscience – Page 862

New Research Finds Potential Mechanism Linking Autism and Intestinal Inflammation

Infection during pregnancy with elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may yield microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses, mouse study suggests.

Though many people with autism spectrum disorders also experience unusual gastrointestinal inflammation, scientists have not established how those conditions might be linked. Now MIT

MIT is an acronym for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861. It is organized into five Schools: architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; and science. MIT’s impact includes many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances.

Finding That Connection: Watch Two Neurons in a Petri Dish Sense Each Other and Connect

In this video, Dr. Lila Landowski shares footage of two neurons connecting in a dish. Here’s what Lila had to say about the footage:

You’re watching two neurons that I saw under the microscope sensing one another and connecting.

There are 86 billion neurons in the brain — how do they know how to connect to other neurons or body parts when our bodies are developing?

Findings Challenge Previous Theories About the Relationship Between Two Elements of Consciousness

When the perception of bodily self-consciousness is distorted… See more.

Summary: When the perception of bodily self-consciousness is distorted, the recovery of body ownership can be predicted by different kinds of memories.

Source: University of Tsukuba

Scientists and philosophers have pondered the nature of consciousness for centuries. But now, researchers from Japan have uncovered new information that challenges previous theories about the relationship between two elements of consciousness.

In a study published this month in iScience, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed that when the perception of bodily self-consciousness is distorted, the recovery of body ownership can be predicted by different kinds of memories.

Are Scientists Homing in on a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease?

Researchers have refined a molecule that shows promise for the prevention of Parkinson’s disease.… See more.

Summary: Researchers have refined a molecule that shows promise for the prevention of Parkinson’s disease.

Source: University of Bath

A molecule that shows promise in preventing Parkinson’s disease has been refined by scientists at the University of Bath in the UK, and has the potential to be developed into a drug to treat the deadly neurodegenerative disease.

Professor Jody Mason, who led the research from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at Bath, said: “A lot of work still needs to happen, but this molecule has the potential to be a pre-cursor to a drug. Today there are only medicines to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s—we hope to develop a drug that can return people to good health even before symptoms develop.”

Fine-Tuning Motivation in the Brain

Summary: Researchers implicate neurons in the anterior insula cortex as a driving force for motivation in the brain, according to a new mouse study.

Source: CSHL

A characteristic of depression is a lack of motivation. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Bo Li, in collaboration with CSHL Adjunct Professor Z. Josh Huang, discovered a group of neurons in the mouse brain that influences the animal’s motivation to perform tasks for rewards.

We finally know why the brain uses so much energy

The brain is considered a very expensive organ to run.

Your brain may be leaking … energy, according to a new study that may explain why your noggin consumes 20% of the energy needed to keep your body running.

The study researchers found that tiny sacs called vesicles that hold messages being transmitted between brain cells may be constantly oozing energy, and that leakage is likely a trade-off for the brain being ready to fire at all times, according to a new study published Dec. 3 in the journal Science Advances.

Self-Administered Cognition Test Predicts Early Signs of Dementia Sooner

Summary: A newly developed self-assessment test of cognitive function can help detect early signs of dementia sooner than commonly used office-based cognitive tests.

Source: Ohio State University.

Many people experience forgetfulness as they age, but it’s often difficult to tell if these memory issues are a normal part of aging or a sign of something more serious. A new study finds that a simple, self-administered test developed by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and College of Public Health can identify the early, subtle signs of dementia sooner than the most commonly used office-based standard cognitive test.

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