Researchers demonstrate a new mechanism of neural plasticity underlying learning and memory processes

Researchers demonstrate a new mechanism of neural plasticity underlying learning and memory processes

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114112 Neurons are important, but they are not everything. Indeed, it is “cartilage,” in the form of clusters of extracellular matrix molecules called chondroitin sulfates, located in the outside nerve cells, that plays a crucial role in…

‘Mathematical microscope’ reveals novel, energy-efficient mechanism of working memory that works even during sleep

'Mathematical microscope' reveals novel, energy-efficient mechanism of working memory that works even during sleep

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain UCLA Health researchers have discovered a mechanism that creates memories while reducing metabolic cost, even during sleep. This efficient memory occurs in a part of the brain that is crucial for learning and memory, and where Alzheimer’s disease begins. The…

Nerves prompt muscle to release factors that boost brain health, study finds

Nerves prompt muscle to release factors that boost brain health, study finds

Illinois researchers used a novel tissue model to examine the effect of nerve stimulation on muscle secretion of brain-boosting factors. The nerves, colored green, trigger the muscle to release hormones and mRNA packages that foster growth of and connection between neurons in the brain….

Scientists Have Discovered Cognitive Benefits of Creatine

Scientists Have Discovered Cognitive Benefits of Creatine

Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich have found that a high single dose of creatine can temporarily enhance cognitive functions impaired by sleep deprivation, specifically improving processing capacity and short-term memory. The study cautions against excessive creatine intake due to potential health risks, although it suggests…

Sleep resets brain connections for a few hours, but then what happens?

Sleep resets brain connections for a few hours, but then what happens?

In a study involving zebrafish, a team of scientists led by the University College London (UCL) has explored how the brain manages synaptic connections during sleep . The experts found that the brain weakens new neural connections that were forged during waking hours, but…

Researchers unveil mechanism enhancing cellular fitness against aging and neurodegeneration

Researchers unveil mechanism enhancing cellular fitness against aging and neurodegeneration

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center discover a mechanism to enhance the fitness of cells against aging and neurodegenerative diseases. This finding will pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches in neuroprotection against aging-related disorders and neurodegeneration. Durham, North Carolina; USA; April 30, 2024….

Scientists discover new immunosuppressive mechanism in brain cancer

Scientists discover new immunosuppressive mechanism in brain cancer

Graphical abstract. Credit: Immunity (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.04.006 The Wistar Institute assistant professor Filippo Veglia, Ph.D., and team, have discovered a key mechanism of how glioblastoma—a serious and often fatal brain cancer—suppresses the immune system so that the tumor can grow unimpeded by the body’s…

Scientists Identify New Brain Circuit That Inhibits Appetite

Scientists Identify New Brain Circuit That Inhibits Appetite

Researchers have discovered a brain circuit in mice that inhibits eating when nauseous, pinpointing unique amygdala nerve cells that operate differently from those activated during satiety, highlighting the complex regulation of appetite. A neural pathway suppresses appetite when experiencing nausea. Feeling full, nauseous, or…

How the brain structure that produces norepinephrine also helps control visual attention

How the brain structure that produces norepinephrine also helps control visual attention

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small region of the brainstem that produces norepinephrine, a chemical with powerful effects on arousal and wakefulness which plays an important role in the body’s response to stress or panic. Now, research from the…

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Shows Rapid Relief for Major Depression

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Shows Rapid Relief for Major Depression

0 Noninvasive transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may lead to rapid improvement in major depressive disorder (MDD), results of a randomized, sham-controlled trial suggested. However, independent experts said more research is needed to confirm its benefit. While both the active and sham tACS groups…

Could menopause be delayed? The answer could lead to longer lifespans for women

Could menopause be delayed? The answer could lead to longer lifespans for women

Scientists are learning that ovaries aren’t just important for making babies—they also keep the heart, brain, and bones healthy. A mouse ovary treated with a high dose of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)—a hormone naturally produced by follicles in the ovary—shows more small, dormant follicles and…

Waking Up Tired? Try This Natural Sleep Supplement

Waking Up Tired? Try This Natural Sleep Supplement

If melatonin makes you groggy, GABA could be a good alternative. Sleep is essential to all aspects of our well-being, from our mood and brain functions to our immune system , heart health and more. Despite how important a good night’s sleep is, many…

Scientists say sleep resets brain connections—but only for first few hours

Scientists say sleep resets brain connections—but only for first few hours

Single-neuron synapse tracking across day–night cycles reveals diverse dynamics. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07367-3 During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake—but only during the first half of a night’s sleep, according to a new study…

Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness

Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness

The major nodes of a human brain network that keeps us awake are shown color-coded in this MRI scan of a postmortem brain. (Image credit: Edlow et al., Sci. Trans. Med., 16 eadj4303 (2024). (Cropped by Live Science.)) Scientists have charted a comprehensive map…

Scientists identify new brain circuit in mice that controls body’s inflammatory reactions

The brain can direct the immune system to an unexpected degree, capable of detecting, ramping up and tamping down inflammation, shows a new study in mice from researchers at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute. “The brain is the center of our thoughts, emotions, memories and feelings,”…

Sleep resets brain connections — but only for first few hours

During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake — but only during the first half of a night’s sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists. The researchers say their findings, published in…

New study reveals microplastic chemicals can enter the human body through sweat

New study reveals microplastic chemicals can enter the human body through sweat

A recent study conducted at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom has found that chemical additives within microplastics can infiltrate the human body through sweat . Microplastics, tiny particles measuring a millionth of a gram, are present in virtually everything humans consume…

Definitive Therapy to the Primary Site Improves Survival in Brain-Only Metastatic NSCLC

Definitive Therapy to the Primary Site Improves Survival in Brain-Only Metastatic NSCLC

0 TOPLINE: In patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have metastases to the brain only, definitive treatment to the primary site improved overall survival outcomes following stereotactic radiosurgery, a retrospective analysis found. METHODOLOGY: The American Society of Radiation Oncology guidelines strongly recommend…

New studies examine the effects of napping on infant and preschooler brain development

New studies examine the effects of napping on infant and preschooler brain development

A University of Massachusetts Amherst sleep scientist, funded with $6.7 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched two unprecedented studies that will track over time the brain development of infants and preschoolers to confirm the role of napping in…

Brainless memory makes the spinal cord smarter than previously thought

Aya Takeoka at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan and colleagues have discovered the neural circuitry in the spinal cord that allows brain-independent motor learning. Published in Science on April 11, the study found two critical groups of spinal cord neurons,…

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