Peer-Reviewed Publication Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie Leuven, Belgium, 17 December 2024 – Researchers at Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders (NERF), led by Prof. Vincent Bonin, have published two new studies uncovering how visual information is processed and distributed in the brain. The studies reveal the complexity and flexibility of visual information processing in the brain. The visual cortex, a key...
Category: <span>Research Updates</span>
Post
Research alert: Neural stem cell transplantation shows promise for treating chronic spinal cord injury
Peer-Reviewed Publication University of California – San Diego image: This graphical abstract illustrates the study design. Notable innovations include the use of a “floating cannula” to deliver stem cells without suspension of respiration, utilizing diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) to enable both qualitative and quantitative assessment of the spinal cord, and utilizing electromyography (EMG) to reveal...
Post
Clinical trial of a drug to improve cognitive function in Down syndrome yields positive results
by IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The ICOD (Improving Condition in Down syndrome) project, a pioneering study in addressing the cognitive difficulties associated with Down syndrome, has demonstrated the safety of treatment with the molecule AEF0217, developed by the French biotech Aelis Farma, as well as its effectiveness in...
Post
New drug shows potential in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy
by Keila DePape, McGill University Credit: Life Science Alliance (2024). DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202402831 A novel drug holds promise for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder that causes severe muscle degeneration. McGill University researchers have discovered that an experimental compound called K884 can boost the natural repair abilities of muscle stem cells. Current treatments can slow muscle damage,...
Post
Psychologists identify a new kind of human memory process
by Florida Institute of Technology Credit: iScience (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111439 Richard Addante, who has spent more than a decade researching episodic memory—the cognitive process that involves processing and retrieving long-term memory—has identified a new kind of human memory process. According to Addante, associate professor of psychology at Florida Institute of Technology, the current framework in the psychology field...
Post
Electrical stimulation of ears shows promise for treating ulcerative colitis
by University of Manitoba Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) improves the colitis-related disease activity index (DAI) and macroscopic score. Credit: Bioelectronic Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s42234-024-00162-5 A simple, non-invasive treatment focused on the ears could one day provide relief for people with ulcerative colitis, a UM research study has found. The study, “Exploring the efficacy of transcutaneous...
Post
Enhanced dual-mode imaging: New transducer delivers ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging simultaneously
by Pohang University of Science and Technology A transparent ultrasound transducer-based photoacoustic-ultrasound fusion probe, along with images of a rat’s rectum and a pig’s esophagus. Credit: POSTECH A research team has developed the world’s first high-performance photoacoustic endoscopy based on a transparent ultrasonic transducer. Their findings were recently published in the journal Science Advances. Endoscopic ultrasound is widely used...
Post
Researchers find previously unknown links between microbial bile acids and the risk of colon cancer
by University of Wisconsin-Madison From left, Ting Fu, assistant professor in the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy, postdoctoral researcher Xingchen Dong, and graduate student Fei Sun prepare samples for examination. Credit: Sally Griffith-Oh / UW–Madison Microbes living in our guts help us digest food by reshaping the bile acids that our livers produce for breaking down fats....
Post
Horseshoe crab and tarantula-derived peptides may provide key to beating drug-resistant melanoma
by Queensland University of Technology Credit: Pharmacological Research (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107298 Antimicrobial peptides derived from a crab and a spider may provide the pathway to overcoming drug resistance in advanced melanoma. QUT researchers based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute (TRI) have modified the peptides from the Brazilian tarantula and the Japanese horseshoe crab and found they can kill...
Post
Breathing coordinates brain rhythms for memory consolidation during sleep
by Northwestern University Corresponding author Andrew Sheriff looks at a computer monitor in a lab. Credit: Northwestern University Just as a conductor coordinates different instruments in an orchestra to produce a symphony, breathing coordinates hippocampal brain waves to strengthen memory while we sleep, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. This is the first time breathing rhythms...