When it comes to processing vision, the brain is full of noise. Information moves from the eyes through many connections in the brain. Ideally, the same image would be reliably represented the same way each time, but instead different groups of cells in the visual cortex can become stimulated by the same scenes. So how...
Researchers here note that reduction in the calorie content in the diet is the important trigger for the benefits of calorie restriction, not reductions in the quantity of food ingested. The practice of calorie restriction, reducing calorie intake while still obtaining optimal micronutrient intake, has been shown to extend life span in near all species and lineages tested to...
The largest randomised placebo-controlled trial of the antibiotic amoxicillin for treating chest infections in children – one of the most common acute illnesses treated in primary care in developed countries, has found it is little more effective at relieving symptoms than the use of no medication. The study, published in The Lancet and funded by the National...
IMAGE: A MICROSCOPIC IMAGE OF A NORMAL MOUSE SMALL INTESTINE. CELLS STAINED RED EXPRESS NORMAL AMOUNTS OF CELL-SURFACE TAGS (MHC-II) NEEDED BY IMMUNE CELLS TO FIND THREATS LIKE INFECTIONS OR CANCER. HIGH-FAT DIETS REDUCE THE LEVELS OF MHC-II TAGS IN INTESTINAL CELLS, AND SO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM HAS A HARDER TIME RECOGNIZING INTESTINAL TUMORS. CREDIT:...
BOSTON – Chronic back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States, patients spend up to $300 billion each year to treat the condition, according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Pain. However, common therapies such as surgery and steroid injections intended to address physical origins of back pain have not been clearly proven to work in randomized clinical trials, and a growing body of evidence suggests...
by University of California – San Diego Artistic visualization of the decreased modularity and increased synchronization between brain regions during psychostimulant withdrawal (left hemisphere) compared to control mice (right hemisphere). Credit: Lauren Smith, UC San Diego Health Sciences Addictive psychostimulants, from nicotine in cigarettes to illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, affect different regions of the...
by Diabetologia Credit: CC0 Public Domain New research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, found that the amount of fat stored in the liver is higher in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), whatever their BMI. It also suggested that levels of liver fat currently...
by Diabetologia Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, found that contrary to the perceived wisdom, people of normal weight with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can reverse the condition through substantial weight loss. Eight of the 12 participants achieved remission...
by University of California, Los Angeles PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain An inexpensive anti-seizure medication markedly improves learning and memory and other cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s patients who have epileptic activity in their brains, according to a study published in the Sept. 27th issue of JAMA Neurology. “This is a...
by University of Southampton Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers at the University of Southampton have invented a new way to generate human cartilage tissue from stem cells. The technique could pave the way for the development of a much-needed new treatment for people with cartilage damage. Cartilage acts as a shock absorber in joints, but it is susceptible to...
