Summary: New research shows a common Parkinson’s disease gene mutation causes iron to be misdirected within activated microglia, potentially contributing to neurodegeneration. Source: PLOS Researchers report that a prevalent genetic mutation linked to Parkinson’s disease causes iron to be mislocalized in activated microglia, according to a study published December 16 in the open-access journal PLOS … Read more

Summary: Breast milk provides more than calories and nutrients — it carries time-of-day signals that can influence infant sleep, immunity and metabolism. In an analysis of expressed milk, researchers found clear day–night variation in hormonal signals, with melatonin highest at night and cortisol peaking in the early morning, while many immune-related proteins remained relatively stable … Read more

Summary: A large-scale study indicates that sufficient sleep helps protect children from impulsive behaviors commonly associated with stressful home environments. Researchers examined data from more than 11,800 children aged 9–10 and found that sleeping fewer than nine hours or taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep was linked to higher levels of impulsivity over … Read more

Exome Sequencing Doubles Known Genetic Causes of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia and Reveals Links to Common Neurodegenerative Diseases Summary An international team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports a major advance in understanding hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). Published in Science (January 31, 2014), the study doubles the number … Read more

Summary: New findings illuminate how the prefrontal cortex contributes to sensory processing and perceptual experience. Source: University of Toronto Imagine a picture of a sunlit beach: you can almost feel the warmth on your skin and hear the waves breaking, even if you are sitting far from the ocean. How does the human brain create … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that binge drinking by mothers before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can increase the risk of mood disturbances and alcohol misuse in their offspring during adolescence. Source: Frontiers. New findings published in Frontiers in Psychiatry reveal that maternal binge drinking before conception and during pregnancy and lactation can adversely affect … Read more

Summary: New research suggests people’s food choices are guided by nutritional needs—micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals—rather than by calories alone. Source: University of Bristol New international research provides fresh evidence that human food preferences may be more deliberate than previously thought, with selections driven in part by a need for specific nutrients rather than … Read more

Summary: Researchers used a realistic virtual reality taxi-driving paradigm to investigate how the human brain maintains a stable sense of direction in rich, naturalistic settings. Neuroimaging data revealed two brain areas that consistently encoded the direction a person was facing, forming what the authors describe as a neural compass that aligns orientation with the environment’s … Read more

Summary: Researchers tracked the maturation of astrocytes produced from human cortical spheroids (hCSs) and found that the lab-grown cells develop on a timeline comparable to astrocytes in the human brain. Source: NIH/NINDS. NIH-funded study establishes a model to study astrocyte development and its link to brain disorders Astrocytes, the star-shaped support cells of the brain, … Read more

Research reveals our visual system is a “sensitive lie detector”. What makes one person appear attractive to another? Recent research from Queen’s University suggests the answer lies not in isolated features but in how well those features fit together as a coherent whole. Professor Nikolaus Troje (Psychology, Biology, School of Computing) and his colleagues argue … Read more