A team at the University of Texas at Arlington investigating ways to control neuron growth in the laboratory — and potentially in the human body — has published new findings in Scientific Reports showing that fluid flow can strongly influence axon direction. In research led by Samarendra Mohanty, who directs the Biophysics and Physiology Lab … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Delft University of Technology have built an autonomous drone that uses neuromorphic vision and spiking neural network control inspired by animal brains. The design dramatically speeds up onboard perception while cutting energy use compared with conventional GPU-based approaches, opening the way for much smaller, more agile flying robots. Using neuromorphic processing, the … Read more

Disruption of timing from sensory nerves underlies “ringing in the ears” that affects millions, including many veterans. For tens of millions of people, silence is never truly silent. Even in a quiet room they hear persistent ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming or other phantom sounds. This condition, known as tinnitus, ranges from a minor annoyance to … Read more

Findings point to potential biomarkers for early detection of at-risk youth. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report reduced neuronal activity in brain regions responsible for anticipatory processing among occasional stimulant users aged 18 to 24. The study focused on young people who had used stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that EEG systems may provide a practical and reliable way to assess levels of awareness in patients diagnosed as vegetative following severe brain injury. Source: University of Birmingham. EEG as a Practical Indicator of Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness Recent research indicates that electroencephalography (EEG) can serve as a strong indicator of … Read more

Engram Cells and Amnesia: Reactivating Lost Memories with Light Researchers at MIT have shown that memories seemingly lost to amnesia can be recovered by directly activating specific brain cells with light. In a study published in Science, investigators led by Susumu Tonegawa at MIT used optogenetics to reactivate memories that ordinary recall methods could not … Read more

Summary: Two recent lines of research deepen our understanding of how cellular signaling controls nervous system health. One study in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans highlights the oncogene Src (called SRC-1 in worms) as a key regulator of axon guidance during nervous system development, illustrating how a molecule known for its role in cancer also performs … Read more

Research suggests mental illness does not prevent people from experiencing happiness Schizophrenia is often seen as one of the most severe mental illnesses, yet a significant number of people living with the condition report feeling happy. A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that many individuals … Read more

Alzheimer Plaques in 3D – Swiss researchers have generated detailed three-dimensional images that reveal the spatial distribution of amyloid plaques in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s disease. These amyloid plaques are extracellular accumulations of protein fragments and represent a hallmark of Alzheimer’s pathology. The new imaging approach offers an exceptionally precise research tool to … Read more

Summary: A new study across 20 European countries reports that people in the lowest income deciles are far more likely to experience loneliness than those in higher income groups, even though they spend similar amounts of time socialising. Loneliness and poverty were both strongly linked to a cluster of defensive symptoms—pain, fatigue, and low mood—that … Read more