Thought LeadersSusan MagsamenFounder & Director, The International Arts + Mind LabJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine NewsMedical spoke with Susan Magsamen, Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, during SfN 2024. In this interview, Susan shares insights into her groundbreaking work in neuroaesthetics, discussing how the arts can measurably...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
How diversity is driving insights into the brain
Scientists in Japan say that diverse teams and approaches are helping to uncover the brain’s complexity, from memories hiding in the spinal cord to the processing of optical illusions. Produced by A researcher at RIKEN Center for Brain Science has recently identified a type of neuron in the spinal cord, known as a Renshaw cell...
New research offers hope for treating inherited peripheral neuropathies
by Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Treating S63del mice for 21 days with tadalafil or CYR119 restores myelin thickness and nerve conduction in sciatic nerves. Credit: Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05463-1 A recent study by Dr. Jordan Verplank, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics at the Uniformed...
Largest-ever genetic study of epilepsy finds possible therapeutic targets
October 3, 2024 by Ari Navetta, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Epilepsy genetic architecture from large-scale genetic association studies. Credit: Nature Neuroscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01747-8The largest and most diverse study to date of epilepsy’s genetic factors has revealed new potential targets for treatment, both shared by and unique to different subtypes of epilepsy. The...
Liver X receptor beta: A new frontier in treating depression and anxiety
October 4, 2024 by Genomic Press In a Bench to Bedside review published in the journal Brain Medicine, researchers Dr. Xiaoyu Song and Professor Jan-Åke Gustafsson from the University of Houston and Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) shed light on the therapeutic potential of liver X receptor beta (LXRβ) in treating depression and anxiety. This comprehensive analysis...
Turning brain cells on using the power of light: Researchers refine noninvasive method of bioluminescent optogenetics
October 3, 2024 by Kelsie Smith Hayduk, University of Rochester (A) Schematic illustration of the LMO7 molecule. (B) Representative histological images showing fluorescence expression in the left SI of a mouse. (C) Illustration of the timeline of events within a single day of imaging. (D) Schematic of the experimental setup used to image bioluminescence in...
Key mechanisms in asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease brains offer potential protection against cognitive decline
October 3, 2024 by Indiana University Microglia and astrocytic coverage around compact, intermediate, and filamentous amyloid plaques between AD and AsymAD cases. Credit: Acta Neuropathologica (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02775-1Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are examining the brains of individuals with asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease who, despite having amyloid plaque and tau buildup—the primary indicators of...
Trajectory of Cognitive Decline Before and After Stroke in 14 Population Cohorts
October 2, 2024 Jessica W. Lo, MSc1; John D. Crawford, PhD1; Darren M. Lipnicki, PhD1; et alRicha Author Affiliations Article InformationJAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10):e2437133. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.37133 Key PointsQuestion What is the outcome of a first stroke on cognitive function? Findings In this cohort study of 14 international cohorts of older adults, stroke was associated with a...
Study hints at ways to generate new neurons in old brains
October 2, 2024 by Stanford University Medical Center Most neurons in the human brain last a lifetime, and for good reason. Intricate, long-term information is preserved in the complex structural relationships between their synapses. To lose the neurons would be to lose that critical information—that is, to forget. Intriguingly, some new neurons are still produced...
Circular peptides in violets may aid in the fight against glioblastoma
September 30, 2024 by Brain Chemistry Labs Wyoming violets. Credit: Dr. Paul Alan Cox, Brain Chemistry LabsGlioblastoma is one of the most serious brain diseases known. More than 45% of brain cancers are gliomas. Only half of glioblastoma patients respond to the FDA-approved chemotherapy temozolomide (TMZ). Even for those patients, the cancer cells quickly evolve...