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Category: neuroscience

How an antiviral defense mechanism may lead to Alzheimer’s disease

One of the main proteins that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease is called phospho-tau (p-tau). When p-tau gets too many phosphate groups attached to it (a process called hyperphosphorylation), it starts to stick together and form clumps called “tangles” inside of brain nerve cells.

A new study by Mass General Brigham investigators shows that tau hyperphosphorylation may be a consequence of an antiviral response that protects the brain from infection. Results are published in Nature Neuroscience.

“As a geneticist, I always wondered why humans had evolved gene mutations predisposing to Alzheimer’s disease,” said senior author Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., Director of the McCance Center for Brain Health and Genetics and Aging Research Unit in the Mass General Brigham Department of Neurology.

Rare Hall effect reveals design pathways for advanced spintronic materials

Scientists at Ames National Laboratory, in collaboration with Indranil Das’s group at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (India), have found a surprising electronic feature in transitional metal-based compounds that could pave the way for a new class of spintronic materials for computing and memory technologies.

Spintronics, a field that harnesses the spin of electrons in addition to their charge, promises breakthroughs in technologies such as brain-like computers and memory devices that retain data without power.

The unexpected feature was found in Mn₂PdIn, a Heusler compound—a type of alloy valued for its tunable magnetic and electronic properties. These alloys can exhibit behaviors not seen in their individual elements, making them prime candidates for spintronic applications.

Signature neural patterns may help predict recovery from traumatic brain injury

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), some patients may recover completely, while others retain severe disabilities. Accurately evaluating prognosis is challenging in patients on life-sustaining therapy.

Though resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) can assess neurological activity shortly after brain injury, it is unknown whether communication across brain regions at this early juncture predicts long-term recovery.

Not thinking about anything: Toward a brain signature of mind blanking

When we are awake, we seem to experience a continuous stream of sensations, reflections, memories, and impressions that make up our mental life. Yet some people report moments when they think about nothing at all. Is that even possible? Or is it an illusion caused by a memory bias?

Mind blanking is defined as the complete absence of mental content that can be described to others. No mental images, no catchy tune looping in your head, no obsessive thoughts… nothing. This experience is often sought after by practitioners of meditation or mindfulness.

But it isn’t confined to them: it seems to be very common after intense, prolonged cognitive effort—such as a university exam—or in cases of sleep deprivation, explains Esteban Munoz-Musat, neurologist and former doctoral student in the Picnic Lab at Paris Brain Institute.

Gut bacteria may play role in bipolar depression by directly influencing brain connectivity

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. Individuals diagnosed with BD typically alternate between periods of high energy, euphoria, irritability and/or impulsivity (i.e., manic episodes) and others marked by feelings of sadness, low energy, and hopelessness (i.e., depression).

While there are now several medications that can help patients to manage the disorder and stabilize their mood, many of these drugs have side effects and dosages often need to be periodically adjusted. Recent studies suggest that the bacteria and microorganisms living in the digestive system, also known as gut microbiota, play a key role in mental health and might also contribute to some symptoms of BD.

Researchers at Zhejiang University, the Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute and other institutes recently carried out a study investigating the possible connection between gut microbiota and the depressive episodes experienced by people diagnosed with BD. Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that the microorganisms in the digestive system can directly influence connections between specific brain regions known to be affected by BD depression.

Scientists grow mini brains to uncover cells behind autism-related brain overgrowth

A new study in the lab of Jason Stein, Ph.D., modeled brain development in a dish to identify cells and genes that influence infant brain growth, a trait associated with autism.

Researchers have made great strides to understand early signs of autism.

Studies have found that certain factors like genetics, sleep deprivation, excess fluid in the brain—and brain size—can increase the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions, like autism.

Alzheimer’s Paper Retracted; Lipoic Acid and MS; Botched Autism Drug Rollout

Science Signaling retracted a 2017 paper that linked a specific amyloid form (amyloid-beta 56) to tau pathology after an investigation into allegations of data manipulation. Author Sylvain Lesné, PhD, who resigned from the University of Minnesota earlier this year, objected to the retraction.

Older adults who were awake more during the night performed worse on cognitive tests no matter how long they slept, data from the Einstein Aging Study showed. (Sleep Health)

Human herpesvirus 7 could be a contributing factor in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology, a case-control study in Sweden suggested. (Brain Communications)

— News and commentary from the world of neurology and neuroscience.

Professor of Medicine Says Death Appears to Be Reversible

A near-death experience expert insists that one’s heart stopping doesn’t have to be the end, with current medical interventions that can help patients cheat death.

In an interview with The Telegraph, associate professor of medicine at New York University’s Langone Medical Center Sam Parnia insisted that by and large, the medical industry is still very behind on the concepts of death and dying.

According to Parnia, studies from the last five years — including some undertaken by his own eponymous lab at NYU — have suggested that our brains remain “salvageable for not only hours, but possibly days” after death.

Visual awareness study unlocks interplay between attention and consciousness

A new study led by Dr. Jiang Yi from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the first clear evidence that visual awareness acts as a “conductor” that refines the speed, precision, and neural coordination of attentional rhythmic sampling.

Published in Nature Communications on Nov. 17, this study resolves a long-standing mystery about the interplay between attention and consciousness, opening new avenues for understanding cognitive function and deficits.

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