Summary: Doctors injected an experimental stem cell therapy, AST-OPC1, into the injured cervical spinal cord of a recently paralyzed young man, restoring meaningful hand and arm function. Source: USC. Initial results offer hope for patients to reclaim independence after severe spinal injury Keck Medical Center of USC announced that a surgical team became the first … Read more

Summary: Researchers found that oxytocin levels rise in the olfactory bulb and peak when newly generated neurons integrate into existing neural networks. These results reveal a key role for oxytocin in adult neurogenesis and brain plasticity. Source: Baylor College of Medicine The human capacity to learn new skills, adapt to changing environments and recover from … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Trinity College Dublin found that hepatitis C virus (HCV) increases expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins, which weakens the normal immune response to viral infection. This immune dampening helps explain why many HCV infections remain asymptomatic and undiagnosed in the months after exposure. Source: TCD Trinity College Dublin researchers reveal … Read more

Summary: Researchers have linked a mutation in the BCL11B gene to a rare skull development disorder called craniosynostosis. Source: Oregon State University Overview Scientists from Oregon State University, the University of Oxford and Erasmus University have identified a previously unreported genetic mutation that causes premature fusion of the skull’s bony plates, a condition known as … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a brain pathway near the midbrain where taste and pain signals converge, according to a new study. Source: University of Oklahoma University of Oklahoma neuroscientists have identified a neural pathway where taste and pain signals meet. The study, initially designed to examine how taste and food temperature interact, unexpectedly revealed shared … Read more

Summary: Researchers update a longstanding theory of human learning and emphasize its value as a guiding framework for building more capable artificial intelligence systems. Source: Cell Press. Recent advances that produced artificial agents able to outperform humans in complex games trace back to neural network ideas inspired by the brain. In a Review published June … Read more

Summary: A new study reports on the role a microRNA plays in major depressive disorder. Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham. A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study identifies the microRNA miR-124-3p as an important molecular player in major depressive disorder (MDD). Researchers at UAB report that the small, neuron-enriched microRNA miR-124-3p is consistently … Read more

Summary: A mathematical algorithm developed by the Blue Brain Project enables objective, reproducible classification of neuronal shapes. Using topological methods, researchers have identified 17 distinct types of pyramidal neurons in the rat somatosensory cortex. Source: EPFL “For nearly a century scientists have struggled to name and agree on cell types using subjective descriptions. The Blue … Read more

Summary: Sleep deprivation increases the number of available A1 adenosine receptors in the brain, while restorative recovery sleep returns receptor availability to baseline levels, a new study reports. Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich. Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich, together with partners from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), examined molecular changes in the human brain that occur after prolonged … Read more

Summary: A new study shows that combining magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain imaging with machine learning can help identify whether a person has a concussion. Source: PLOS New machine learning method uses high-resolution brain scans to detect mild traumatic brain injury High-resolution brain scans analyzed with machine learning algorithms can distinguish patients with concussion from those without, … Read more