Scientists at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan made an exciting discovery regarding cellular mechanisms that assist in developing our brains. They discovered that lactate plays an important role in helping neural stem cells become specialized neurons. Lactate happens to be the by-product of exercise and metabolism. Researchers even gave this process a fancy name: neuronal differentiation.
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Omega-3 Slow ALS Progression: Fatty Acid has Neuroprotective Effects
Recent study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that a diet high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) may have potential benefits for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells responsible for controlling muscle movement.
Read MoreTargeting Folate Receptors in Gliomas: A New Way to Detect Brain Tumors
Recent research conducted by Maxwell Miner from the University of Turku in Finland, working at the Turku PET Centre, sheds light on the potential of folate receptors as a valuable tool in the field of brain tumor imaging and treatment. Folate-based radiopharmaceuticals are a type of medical imaging agent that combines folate – a form of vitamin B9 – with a radioactive substance.
Read MoreDistinct Activation Patterns of Projection Neurons: Cortical Dynamics
Cerebral cortex is the outer layer of cerebrum, that is the largest part of the brain. All kinds of higher-level processes such as language, memory, and decision-making are performed in this region. The complex, densely packed structure is saturated with various types of neurons. It is extremely difficult to image its neuronal dynamics with the necessary spatial and temporal resolution. So far, fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) technique is widely used for studying brain activity. However, when it comes down to examine neural circuitry at the point of a single…
Read MoreAstrocytes are the Information Regulators: Brain Pathology
Astrocytes are the non-neuronal cells that provide support and maintenance to neurons in the brain and spinal cord. They have a star-shaped morphology, with multiple branching processes that extend out from the cell body. They form specialized junctions with blood vessels for regulating the transport of nutrients and other molecules between the brain and the bloodstream.
Read MoreNeuro-Stack to records Single Neuron Activity: Brain Mechanisms of Movement
New technologies have revolutionized many fields, including medicine and neuroscience. Advances in engineering, materials science, and computer technology have enabled the development of increasingly sophisticated devices for recording and analysing biological signals, such as brain activity, with unprecedented precision and accuracy. For instance, electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive technique that measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. With the advancement in electronics and computing the EEG signals can now be recorded with greater precision and resolution.
Read MoreHydrogels Promote Neuronal Tissue Growth: Brain Healing
Degeneration of brain cells could be a natural aging process. However, destruction or deterioration of brain cells could occur due to a wide range of internal as well as external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage. Science has tremendously advanced when it comes to health care and disease control. There are new and radical developments in the field of neurology alone. One such progress is brain tissue reconstruction.
Read MoreBook Review: The Brain by Dr. David Eagleman
Dr. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford, NYT bestselling author, Writer/Host of THE BRAIN on PBS, and the list continues. After listening to his podcasts and TED talks, I decided to pick-up one book from his vault – The Brain: The Story of You. The book is an interesting read and at some points, quite an eye opener. Here, Dr. Eagleman reviews how the human brain develops and make sense of the data that it receives from sensory systems. We are built to perceive only thin slice of perception,…
Read MoreHuman Brain Organoids Implanted in Mice: Human-mouse Synapses
An international team of neuroscientists has demonstrated that human brain organoids when implanted in the cerebral cortex region of a mice can respond to external sensory stimuli. Brain organoid, here, refers to a three-dimensional tissue that is made from skin cells.
Read MoreInterview: Wa’d AbuZurayk, a Neurotherapist and Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Jordan
Wa’d AbuZurayk is the first qualified neurotherapist and paediatric occupational therapist in Jordan. She has attained her licensed device from Germany. The device is both FDA and internationally approved. She is also the founder of Ujeed, Child Development Consultations in Amman, Jordan. These days most of her time is occupied with families to create their own unique narrative through neurotherapy, occupational therapy and a pinch of magic. With the help of neurotherapy, Wa’d aims to retrain the brain to develop new skills and increase brain fitness. While at the same time…
Read MoreMultiple Modes of Dendritic Integration in Single Neurons: Brain Computation
Dendrites, branch like extensions protruding from a single neuron, participate in computations and permutations to give a synchronized output to the neuron. Researchers at MIT have now demonstrated that not only different types of dendrites (of a single neuron) collect input from various regions of the brain, they also process that information in different customized ways.
Read MoreManeuvering Brain Astrocytes via Magnetic Field: Magnetomechanical Stimulation
Researchers at University College London have discovered a new form of non-invasive therapy for neurological disorders. The technique called “magnetomechanical stimulation” (MMS) involves microscopic magnetic particles for remotely stimulating brain cells.
Read MoreAltering Macrophage Metabolism Helps Damage Nerves Recover: Neuronal Health
Peripheral nervous system (PNS) axons regenerate in contrast with central nervous system (CNS) axons, however, the rate of renewal is fairly slow. It is because of its sluggish rate majority of the peripheral nerve injuries lead to permanent disability for patients.
Read MoreSwimming is Dynamics of Two Nervous System: AgnathaX
Starting in the early 1900s, one of the problems that baffled neuroscientists worldwide was the role of central and peripheral nervous systems in swimming locomotion. In other words, how swimming locomotion is generated and how vertebrates synchronize the rhythm that is required for the locomotion.
Read MoreMemory Consolidation via Excitatory And Inhibitory Networks: Neuronal Circuits
Until now, neuroscientists believed that during memory consolidation only “one” excitatory process occurs and that also in the Hippocampus region of the brain. Lately, McGill-led multi-institutional research team has discovered that there is not one but two different processes that are simultaneously taking place in different neural network within brain.
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