VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Dec. 2, 2019) — Understanding how the brain processes sweet, bitter and umami tastes may one day help researchers design more effective drugs for neurological disorders. Van Andel Institute scientists have for the first time revealed the near atomic-level structure of a calcium homeostasis modulator (CALHM), a type...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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Mapping the relay networks of our brain
by VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) A team of scientists led by Karl Farrow at NeuroElectronics Research Flanders (NERF, empowered by imec, KU Leuven and VIB) is unraveling how our brain processes visual information. They identified specific roles for distinct neuronal cell types in passing on information from the eye to downstream brain regions...
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Longevity Linked to Proteins That Calm Overexcited Neurons
New research makes a molecular connection between the brain and aging — and shows that overactive neurons can shorten life span. Athousand seemingly insignificant things change as an organism ages. Beyond the obvious signs like graying hair and memory problems are myriad shifts both subtler and more consequential: Metabolic processes run less smoothly; neurons respond less...
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Optic nerve ultrasound may ID increased intracranial pressure
(HealthDay)—Optic nerve ultrasonography can help diagnose increased intracranial pressure with high specificity and sensitivity for patients with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injury, according to a review published online Nov. 19 in Annals of Internal Medicine. Alex Koziarz, from University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the accuracy of optic nerve ultrasonography for...
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Brain responses as state markers of depression
by University of Jyväskylä Elisa Ruohonen in the research laboratory. Photographer Xueqiao Li. Credit: University of Jyväskylä Depression has been associated with bias in the processing of emotional information. Studies have for example, shown, that depressed individuals attend to negative stimuli, interpret neutral faces as sad and have enhanced recall for negative words. However, the bias...
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She lives with seizures, and public stigma, every day
by Serena Gordon, Healthday Reporter Eva Wadvinski Most of the time, Eva Wadvinski is a typical college student. Then suddenly, she isn’t. Wadvinski has epilepsy and has disruptive seizure clusters as often as 40 times a day. They’re not typical “Hollywood” seizures where people convulse (tonic-clonic seizures), making it harder for people to understand what...
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With the help of ketamine, researchers rewrite memories in a bid to curb harmful drinking
By MEGAN THIELKING @meggophone JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES Our memories are immensely powerful. For a person with alcohol use disorder, a memory triggered by a simple cue — like walking by a favorite bar or spotting a beer billboard — can drive a desire for a drink. But they’re also surprisingly pliable. And scientists are trying to curb...
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Changes in pupils after asymptomatic high-acceleration head impacts indicate changes in brain function
by Journal of Neurosurgery Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers from the University of Michigan found significant pupillary changes in high-school football athletes after they had sustained a high-acceleration head impact. The changes were detected using a noninvasive, hand-held, quantitative pupillometry device, which potentially could be used in a nonclinical setting for a quick assessment of possible...
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To Understand Facebook, Study Capgras Syndrome
Illustration by Dadu Shin We start with the case of a woman who experienced unbearable tragedy. In 1899, this Parisian bride, Madame M., had her first child. Shockingly, the child was abducted and substituted with a different infant, who soon died. She then had twin girls. One grew into healthy adulthood, while the other, again, was...
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Temple study shows extra virgin olive oil staves off multiple forms of dementia in mice
IMAGE: DOMENICO PRATICÒ, MD, SCOTT RICHARDS NORTH STAR FOUNDATION CHAIR FOR ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH, PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF PHARMACOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY, AND DIRECTOR OF THE ALZHEIMER’S CENTER AT TEMPLE AT THE… view more CREDIT: THE LEWIS KATZ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY (Philadelphia, PA) – Boosting brain function is key to staving off the effects of aging....