October 1, 2024 by McMaster University In a study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, researchers Sheila Singh and Jakob Magolan discovered a critical vulnerability in metastatic brain cancer, which they say can be exploited with new drugs to prevent spread. Singh, a professor in McMaster’s Department of Surgery and director of the Center...
Tag: <span>brain</span>
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Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain
By Marzia KhanReviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. Understanding neuroplasticityNeuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to alter its activity in response to a stimulus by reorganizing its structure, function, and neuronal connections. The history of plasticity can be traced to William James in 1890, with the first mention...
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Hallucinations from flickering lights: what happens in our brain?
News Release 10-Sep-2024 Peer-Reviewed PublicationNetherlands Institute for Neuroscience – KNAW image: Infographic hallucinations Credit: Eline Feenstra – Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience A new study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience shows how flickering light can cause hallucinations in our brain: it produces ‘standing waves’ of brain activity. You’re sitting on the bus or train and...
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Cough or sneeze? How the brain knows what to unleash
06 September 2024 ‘Sneeze neurons’ activated by triggers such as pollen or a viral infection send an achoo signal, whereas cough neurons induce a hack. The cough triggered by pollen and other allergens is activated by neurons distinct from those that lead to a sneeze.Credit: Getty Does a whiff of pollen trigger a sneeze or...
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New study reveals the signals in your brain that initiate spontaneous actions
September 5, 2024 by Chapman University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public DomainA new study published in Nature Communications examines how the brain initiates spontaneous actions. In addition to demonstrating how spontaneous action emerges without environmental input, this research has implications for the origins of slow ramping of neural activity before movement onset—a commonly-observed but poorly understood phenomenon....
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Researchers discover an entirely new way to treat anxiety
Neuropsych — August 12, 2024 Researchers discover an entirely new way to treat anxietyManipulating a signaling pathway in mice reversed their anxiety — and offers hope for a new class of anti-anxiety medications for humans. Key TakeawaysRoughly a third of all Americans will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. While leading...
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How the stressed-out brain can weaken the immune system
08 August 2024 Stress leads to disarray of the gut microbiome, which in turn causes inflammation and a drop in the body’s ability to fend off infection. By Sara Reardon The vagus nerve connects the brain region called the amygdala (red; artist’s illustration) to nerves for the Brunner’s glands in the gut.Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo...
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Researchers pioneer noninvasive measurement of gene expression at target locations in the brain
August 7, 2024 by Silvia Cernea Clark, Rice University Striatum region (left) in rodent brain with opened blood-brain barrier. Green fluorescent protein expressed in striatum region in rodent brain (right) in response to induced neuronal activity. Credit: Laboratory for Noninvasive Imaging/Rice UniversityThe ability to alter or prevent the expression of faulty genes in the brain...
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Experimental drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain
July 26, 2024 by Tulane University Phosphorylation activation of CSF1R is increased with simian immunodeficiency virus. Credit: Brain (2024). DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae153An experimental drug originally developed to treat cancer may help clear HIV from infected cells in the brain, according to a new Tulane University study. For the first time, researchers at Tulane National Primate Research...
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Fruit may be the easiest way to shield your brain from depression as you age
HEALTH & WELLBEING By Bronwyn ThompsonJuly 23, 2024 Science suggests that three a day can benefit your mental wellbeing in later lifeDepositphotos If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then a new study suggests upsizing this to a fruit salad may offer even more – by significantly lowering the risk of depressive symptoms...