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Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have discovered that the energy management of inhibitory brain cells is different than that of excitatory cells in our brain. Why is that the case and what is the link with multiple sclerosis?

Brain cells are connected to each other by , the parts of the neuron that transmit electrical signals. To do this efficiently, axons are wrapped in myelin, a lipid-rich material which increases the speed at which electrical pulses are conducted. The importance of myelin becomes apparent in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where myelin is broken down, which has detrimental effects on .

As a result of myelin loss, the conduction of is disrupted, which also means that the energy costs of this process become much higher.

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Investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai have identified how biological pacemaker cells—cells that control your heartbeat—can “fight back” against therapies to biologically correct abnormal heartbeat rates. The research also uncovered a new way to boost the effectiveness of RNA therapies by controlling this “fighting back” activity.

This novel concept, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports Medicine, is an important step in the evolution and creation of biological pacemakers—which aim to one day replace traditional, electronic pacemakers.

“We are all born with a specialized group of heart that set the pace for our heartbeats,” said Eugenio Cingolani, MD, senior author of the study and director of the Cardiogenetics Program in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. “But in some people, this natural is too slow, leading to the need for an electronic pacemaker.”

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It has been shown in epidemiological studies that the immediate postnatal period has a significant influence on the development of our microbiota. A change in postnatal microbiota has long-term implications on neurocognitive outcomes and mental health. Currently, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying critical windows of microbial influence.

About the Study

A recent Brain, Behavior, and Immunity study investigated the role of the early-life gut microbiota in determining neurodevelopmental outcomes. The current study used a mouse model to evaluate the long-term impact of gut microbial disruption during the critical windows of development.

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New signal-processing algorithms have been shown to mitigate the impact of turbulence in free-space optical experiments, potentially bringing “free space” internet a step closer to reality.

The team of researchers, from Aston University’s Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies and Glasgow University, used commercially available photonic lanterns, a commercial transponder, and a to emulate turbulence. By applying a successive interference cancelation algorithm, they achieved record results.

The findings are published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology.

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Did you ever sit under the clear night sky and wonder does it go on forever?” The size of the universe has long been a question that has puzzled scientists, philosophers, and theologians, without a clear answer… well, until now. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln leads you through what modern science can say about the size of the universe.

For more information visit:
http://www.fnal.gov

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In what could be the first direct link between AI and the human brain, interventional neurologist Thomas Oxley reveals the world’s first minimally invasive digital spinal cord. He shares the exciting story behind the ongoing development of this unique wireless device that can interpret signals from the brain for patients with paralysis without the need for open brain surgery or direct contact with brain tissue. Endovascular neurologist Thomas Oxley’s 2016 research demonstrated the potential for a neural recording device to be engineered onto a stent and implanted into a blood vessel in the brain, without the need for open brain surgery.

This research has progressively attracted investment, with completion of a Series A fundraiser in 2017. His company’s technology, the Stentrode, currently under FDA review, is planned for a first in human trial. Patients with tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury, stroke and ALS will be recruited into a trial of direct brain control over a suite of assistive technologies. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

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After a successful test flight of NASA’s Artemis-1 moon mission, the space agency now turns its attention to returning Americans to the moon within two to three years. But the U.S. is not the only country with lunar ambitions. China is aggressively pursuing it own plans to land astronauts on the moon and build out a permanent base. Both countries openly talk about the need to have a military presence in space to defend against the other. Already, a dangerous cold war cat-and-mouse game involving U.S., Russian and Chinese satellites plays out every day. NBC News goes in-depth to explore the challenges in a potential battlefield that is complex, congested and contested.

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