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This could also have a negative impact on research since patients with PSP may be misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and be included in a trial that targets the wrong protein, influencing the results.

The research that led to the PSP breakthrough has roots in an earlier study. In previous research, Martinez-Valbuena and his colleagues developed a test that could detect misfolded alpha synuclein protein in the skin in patients with Parkinson’s.

Researchers have since validated that assay and hope it can be used in clinical trials, although the test is not yet available for clinical diagnoses.

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Extract from “Evolution, Basal Cognition and Regenerative Medicine”, kindly contributed by Michael Levin in SEMF’s 2023 Interdisciplinary Summer School (https://semf.org.es/school2023/). Full talk: • Michael Levin | Evolution, Basal Cogn… TALK ABSTRACT Each of us has made the remarkable journey from a single cell (a quiescent oocyte) to a complex embodied mind. How do cells, which were once independent organisms, work together to pursue the anatomical and physiological goals that enable form and function to reliably self-assemble? In this talk, I will tell the story of the collective intelligence of cellular swarms that embodies William James’ definition of intelligence: same ends by different means. I will describe the amazing competencies of the morphogenetic process that builds bodies and minds, and our discoveries on bioelectricity — the cognitive glue that implements embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer suppression. I will end with a perspective on how biophysical, informational, and behavioral sciences are coming together to redefine the boundaries of the possible in biomedicine and beyond. MICHAEL LEVIN Department of Biology, Tufts University: https://as.tufts.edu/biology Tufts University profile: https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/le… Institute profile: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associa… Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael… ) Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?… Twitter: / drmichaellevin LinkedIn: / michael-levin-b0983a6 SEMF NETWORKS Website: https://semf.org.es Twitter: / semf_nexus LinkedIn: / semf-nexus Instagram: / semf.nexus Facebook: / semf.nexus

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AI is slated to disrupt traditional jobs, but could also give all people previously unthinkable leverage.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, has shared some compelling thoughts on the future of artificial intelligence. On a podcast, he posited that AI will eventually surpass individual human intelligence, but, interestingly, argued that this is already happening in a certain sense. His core idea revolves around the combined intelligence of large organizations already functioning as a form of “superintelligence” that individuals can tap into, a power he believes AI will democratize.

“I think that we’re going to get general intelligence,” Zuckerberg stated. “We’re going to have systems that are smarter than any individual, and I think it’s mostly going to be very empowering for people.”

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A new “atlas” developed by researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and the University of Pittsburgh will increase precision in measuring changes in brain structure and make it easier to share results for scientists working to understand neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The tool, the Duke Mouse Brain Atlas, combines microscopic resolution, three-dimensional images from three different techniques to create a detailed map of the entire brain, from large structures down to and circuits.

“This is the first truly three-dimensional, stereotaxic of the mouse brain,” said G. Allan Johnson, Ph.D., Charles E. Putman University Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Duke. He is also professor in the Department of Physics and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition in which affected individuals experience difficulties in social communication and exhibit restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior or interests.

A growing body of research suggests that neurobiological changes, particularly abnormalities in , tiny protrusions on where synapses form, may be a hallmark of ASD. In particular, studies have found an unusually high number of these spines in individuals with autism. This overabundance of synaptic connections could disrupt normal communication pathways in the brain, potentially contributing to the behavioral and cognitive features seen in ASD.

Under normal circumstances, the brain undergoes , a process involving the removal of unnecessary or weak synaptic connections to make way for more efficient neural networks. This pruning is crucial during early development and adolescence.

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An investigational gene therapy has successfully restored immune function in all nine children treated with the rare and life-threatening immune disorder called severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I, or LAD-I, in an international clinical trial co-led by UCLA.

LAD-I is a genetic condition that affects approximately one in a million people in the world. It is caused by mutations in the gene that produces CD18, a protein that enables to travel from the bloodstream to infection sites.

In the absence of this critical protein, individuals with severe LAD-I—most of whom are diagnosed within their first months of life—are left vulnerable to dangerous, recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. Survival beyond childhood is rare without treatment.

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