Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Differentiation protocol can develop safe and efficient pluripotent stem cell-based therapies for AMD

As we age, so do our eyes; most commonly, this involves changes to our vision and new glasses, but there are more severe forms of age-related eye problems.

16 Jun 2022

Discovery may reveal new ways to control plant growth

Understanding how plants process light is key to improving crop yields. Light helps plants know when to grow and flower at the right time.

15 Jun 2022

Study reveals possibility of changing the identity of synapses through enzymatic means

As you're reading this sentence, the cells in your brain, called neurons, are sending rapid-fire electrical signals between each other, transmitting information.

14 Jun 2022

Scientists develop tiny probe for minimally invasive interfacing with neural circuits

Researchers at the University of California San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a tiny neural probe that can be implanted for longer time periods to record and stimulate neural activity, while minimizing injury to the surrounding tissue.

From UC San Diego 10 Jun 2022

Researchers determine small protein’s structure, likely to pave the way for advanced treatments

For the first time, researchers have deciphered the atomic structure of a protein that transports one of the body’s most vital neurotransmitters into neurons.

9 Jun 2022

Study highlights mismatches between aesthetic value of reef fishes and their conservation priorities

What's the relationship between people's perception of beauty and animals' conservation needs? According to a machine-learning study by Nicolas Mouquet at the University of Montpellier, France, and colleagues, publishing June 7th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, the reef fishes that people find most beautiful tend to be the lowest priority for conservation support.

8 Jun 2022

Researchers analyze functional microglia to empower retinal organ

Professor Zi-Bing Jin is in charge of this research (Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, and Capital Medical University). He has spent the last decade working on retinal organoids, which can accurately mimic retinal development.

3 Jun 2022

Study identifies the regulatory function of non-coding 7S RNA

In human cells, a non-coding RNA molecule controls mitochondrial gene expression, according to new research published in the journal Cell. The research is the result of a collaboration between Sweden’s University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet, as well as Germany’s University of Cologne.

3 Jun 2022

Researchers reveal that new compact version of Cas7-11 enzyme improves RNA editing

Cas7-11, the first CRISPR enzyme that can make precise, directed cuts to strands of RNA without hurting cells, was identified and described last year by researchers at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2 Jun 2022

European cuttlefish may employ a more complex strategy to camouflage within underwater

A new study by City, University of London and others suggests that the European cuttlefish (sepia officinalis) may combine, as necessary, two distinct neural systems that process specific visual features from its local environment, and visual cues relating to its overall background environment to create the body patterns it uses to camouflage itself on the sea floor.

1 Jun 2022

Researchers develop advanced machine learning to count blood cells

The use of machine learning to do blood cell counts for illness detection rather than costly and often less reliable cell analyzer devices has proven labor-intensive, as the training of the machine learning model requires a tremendous amount of manual annotation activity by humans.

27 May 2022

A novel mechanism shared by mutations in varied genes could help treat neurological diseases

Researchers at Tel Aviv University, led by Prof. Illana Gozes from the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, have unraveled a mechanism shared by mutations in the genes ADNP and SHANK3, which cause autism, schizophrenia, and other conditions.

25 May 2022

Maternal rhythms help to develop the suprachiasmatic nuclei’s “master clock”

According to a new study published May 24th, 2022, in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Alena Sumová and coworkers of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, genes within the fetus’s developing clock respond to rhythmic behavior in the mother during fetal development, first before the biological clock starts ticking on its own.

25 May 2022

Researchers devise a new treatment approach to cure aggressive brain tumors

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are cancerous tumors of the brain and spinal cord that are incredibly aggressive.

23 May 2022

Reducing the amount of protein in diet produces an array of favorable health outcomes, study says

The lifespan extension caused by a low-protein diet appears to be coordinated by a single hormone.

18 May 2022

Researchers identify jellyfish’s stinging cells to promote new cell function

According to a recent Cornell study, the cnidocytes—or stinging cells—that are found in sea anemones, hydrae, corals, and jellyfish and make us cautious while wading in the ocean are also an ideal way of understanding the creation of new cell types.

18 May 2022

Researchers identify gene mutation to have the potential to induce higher intelligence in humans

When genes mutate, serious diseases of the human nervous system can result. Scientists from Leipzig University and the University of Würzburg have now used fruit flies to show how, in addition to the negative impact, mutation of a neuronal gene can have a beneficial impact—higher IQ in humans.

12 May 2022