Findings could prove helpful in understanding and resolving learning and memory disorders. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that specific memories can be generated by directly manipulating cells in the cerebral cortex, a discovery that offers new insight into how memories form and suggests potential paths for treating learning and memory disorders. … Read more

Researchers use optogenetics in fruit flies to prevent later-life seizure-like behavior Professor Richard Baines and Dr Carlo Giachello have shown that suppressing nervous system activity at a precise stage of embryonic development can prevent seizure-like behavior later in life, using a genetically altered fruit fly model. By expressing an optogenetic protein and exposing the embryo … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a long non-coding RNA, Paupar, that plays a crucial role in regulating genes required for healthy brain development in mice. Source: University of Bath. New research reveals a non-coding RNA essential for early brain development Since the human genome was first mapped, scientists have wondered why large portions of DNA are … Read more

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Identify Exosome-Delivered microRNAs That Drive Chemotherapy Resistance in Neuroblastoma Scientists at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) have uncovered a key mechanism in the tumor microenvironment that helps neuroblastoma — the most common solid cancer outside the skull in children — become resistant to chemotherapy. The study, led by Muller … Read more

Summary: People with schizophrenia show reduced contrast sensitivity, meaning they have difficulty distinguishing differences in light intensity between adjacent areas. This perceptual deficit can impair shape, texture and detail recognition and may reflect disruptions in glutamatergic neurotransmission, a neural mechanism implicated in the disorder. Researchers propose that measuring contrast sensitivity could become a simple, non-invasive … Read more

Summary: A recent study from the University of Virginia indicates that out-of-body experiences (OBEs), including near-death experiences, can produce profound and lasting increases in empathy and social connectedness. Researchers propose that these changes may result from episodes of “ego dissolution,” during which the sense of a bounded self temporarily fades and individuals report a heightened … Read more

Summary: Researchers report identifying a set of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex that become active when an animal faces the possibility — but not the certainty — of an unpleasant event. Source: WUSTL. Specific neurons activate when there’s a chance of a negative experience Worry about a possible future setback — from exam anxiety … Read more

White matter ‘potholes’ are associated with severity of head injury and cognitive impairment. Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), commonly called concussion, is one of the most frequent neurological conditions, affecting an estimated 1.3 million Americans each year. Interest in mild TBI has grown because of its high incidence and lasting impact among two high-risk groups: … Read more

Summary: A Brazilian neuroimaging study reports structural changes in thalamic connections in people with congenital blindness, providing new evidence of brain plasticity. The regions of the thalamus that normally connect with the occipital (visual) cortex are reduced in size and connectivity in those born blind, while thalamic connections to the temporal cortex are strengthened, suggesting … Read more

Summary: Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin report identifying 27 protein biomarkers in blood that can help predict which COVID-19 patients are likely to develop severe illness. Source: Francis Crick Institute Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have identified 27 protein biomarkers that could be … Read more