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Category: neuroscience – Page 2

3D microscopy reveals how a tick-borne virus reshapes human cells to replicate

Researchers at Umeå University show how tick-borne viruses remodel human cells into virus factories, using an advanced microscopy method. The findings provide new insight into how the virus replicates and matures, knowledge that may become important for future treatments against TBE. The study is published in Nature Communications.

“When we saw the three-dimensional images for the first time, we immediately realized how much new information we could gain about the virus’s replication,” says Lars-Anders Carlson, professor at the Department of Medical Chemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University, who led the study.

One of the most dangerous viral diseases spread in Europe is tick-borne encephalitis. A bite from an infected tick can transmit the TBE virus to humans and cause severe inflammation of the brain. Using electron microscopy, researchers at Umeå University have now discovered how tick-borne viruses reshape infected human cells and turn them into virus factories.

A layered approach sharpens brain signals in optical imaging

Near-infrared spectroscopy, or fNIRS, offers a way to monitor brain activity without surgery or radiation by tracking changes in blood flow and oxygenation. Light sources placed on the scalp send near-infrared light into the head, and detectors measure the light that scatters back. Because this light must pass through the scalp and skull before reaching the brain, the measured signal always includes a mix of superficial and cerebral contributions. Separating those signals has long been a central challenge for fNIRS researchers.

In a study published in Biophotonics Discovery, researchers from the Tufts University Diffuse Optical Imaging of Tissue Laboratory show that combining a specific source–detector geometry with a simple, anatomically informed tissue model can substantially improve how fNIRS data are interpreted.

By accounting for how light travels through layered head structures, the approach makes it possible to better isolate brain-specific signals without relying on complex imaging systems or subject-specific MRI scans.

Oxford scientists uncover how the brain resolves emotional ambiguity

Non-invasive ultrasound study reveals causal role of the amygdala in interpreting uncertain emotions.

Scientists at the University of Oxford have demonstrated, for the first time, that a key emotional centre deep in the human brain directly influences how we interpret ambiguous social cues.

In a new study, published in Neuron, researchers used low-intensity focused ultrasound to temporarily and non-invasively alter activity in the amygdala — a region known to be involved in emotion and affected in depression. They found that this changed how people responded to facial expressions, particularly when those expressions were emotionally unclear.

Your brain for sale? The new frontier of neural data

Tech companies have long profited from personal data.

A newer market is emerging around non-invasive devices that capture brain signals.

That creates serious privacy and legal questions, because neural data may reveal extremely sensitive information.

The article’s warning is that society needs to think about protections before this market expands further.

The fast-growing market of non-invasive neurotechnology is collecting people’s neural data without clear guidelines.

Continue reading “Your brain for sale? The new frontier of neural data” | >

CBD found to reverse brain damage in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. The deficits linked to AD are known to result from the abnormal accumulation of proteins, particularly tau and β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain and between nerve cells, which causes neuroinflammation and can prompt the degradation of brain cells.

The non-psychoactive compound derived from the Cannabis sativa plant, called cannabidiol (CBD), was recently found to show promise for protecting brain cells from damage.

Compared to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in cannabis that elicits feelings of euphoria and alters a user’s mental state, CBD is safer and could thus be easier to introduce in clinical settings.

Scientists discover hidden brain switch that tells you to stop eating

Your brain’s “stop eating” signal may come from an unexpected source. Researchers found that astrocytes—once thought to just support neurons—actually play a key role in controlling appetite. After a meal, glucose triggers tanycytes, which send signals to astrocytes that then activate fullness neurons. This newly discovered pathway could lead to innovative treatments for obesity and eating disorders.

Analysis finds geometric thinking may come from wandering, not a human-only math module

Debates over how geometry is understood and learned date back at least to the days of Plato, with more recent scholars concluding that only humans possess the foundations of this understanding. However, a new analysis by New York University psychology professor Moira Dillon concludes that geometry’s foundations are shared by humans and a variety of other animals—from rats to chickens to fish.

“Our ability to think geometrically may not come from a built-in, uniquely human ‘math module’ in the brain, but rather from the same cognitive systems that help humans, as well as animals, find their way home,” explains Dillon, whose work appears in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences. “Put another way, our understanding of geometry may very well come from wandering rather than from worksheets.”

While Plato and, later, Descartes and Kant all debated the origins of geometry and the role of cognition in its beginnings, only in the latter half of the 20th century did scientists start testing how it is learned.

Higher testosterone linked to increased suicide risk in depressed teenage boys

New research reveals that adolescent boys hospitalized with major depression have much higher testosterone levels if they experience suicidal thoughts. The findings point toward potential biological markers that could help doctors identify young men at risk of self-harm.

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