Scientists from the University of Reading developed a hydrogel that learns to play ‘Pong’ and mimics heartbeats in sync with a pacemaker. The study suggests hydrogels can exhibit adaptive behaviors.
A molecular biology research team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has become the first to map out how mitochondrial messenger RNA folds in human cells.
The research advances knowledge about the expression of genes in the mitochondria and paves the way for identification of therapeutic targets for mitochondrial neurodegenerative diseases.
“Dysfunctional mitochondria can cause devastating diseases, frequently with childhood-onset, known as mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. Despite advances in identifying genes responsible for these disorders, their pathophysiological mechanisms have been poorly understood,” said Antoni Barrientos, Ph.D., professor of neurology and biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School. “This was partly due to a lack of a full understanding of mitochondrial gene expression. Specifically, nothing was known about how mitochondrial messenger RNA folds and how that could influence its stability and translation in health and disease.”
Using #CellDIVE multiplexed imaging and antibodies from Cell Signaling Technology to uncover cell identity and brain structure in Alzheimer’s disease, demonstrating how spatial biology can lead to advances in therapy development for neuro degeneration.
🖼️: Adult Human Alzheimer’s brain demonstrating a panel of 15 markers.
Uncover cell identity and brain structure in Alzheimer’s disease with Cell DIVE multiplexed imaging, demonstrating how spatial biology can lead to advances in therapy development for neurodegeneration.
Continue reading “The Shape of the Brain: Spatial Biology of Alzheimer’s Disease” »
Amid ongoing human clinical trials, there is still a long way to go before neural chips are commonplace in clinics.
Neuroscientists at Stanford have linked Alzheimer’s disease to the disruption of brain metabolism via the kynurenine pathway, which is affected by amyloid plaque and tau proteins.
Their research has demonstrated that drugs blocking this pathway can restore cognitive function in Alzheimer’s mice by improving brain metabolism. This discovery not only bridges the gap between neuroscience and oncology but also provides a fast track to repurposing existing drugs for Alzheimer’s treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease and brain energy metabolism.
Summary: Researchers have identified a link between brain overgrowth and the severity of social and communication symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
By analyzing MRI scans and conducting experiments with brain organoids, the study found that children with the most severe ASD symptoms had significantly larger brains. This enlargement is associated with altered activity of the enzyme Ndel1, which plays a crucial role in neuron development.
The findings open new avenues for understanding ASD and its varying symptom severity.
A study appearing in Journal of Bioethical Inquiry explored the legal and ethical challenges expected to arise in human brain organoid research.
Human brain organoids are three-dimensional neural tissues derived from stem cells that can mimic some aspects of the human brain. Their use holds incredible promise for medical advancements, but this also raises complex ethical and legal questions that need careful consideration.
Seeking to examine the various legal challenges that might arise in the context of human brain organoid research and its applications, the team of researchers, which included a legal scholar, identified and outlined potential legal issues.
Further, “the necessity to secure private ideas, plans, and brain data from unpermitted viewing is accorded to Dr. Anita S Jwa by the phrase,” she argues. Besides that, the ethical implications in the fields of informed consent, coercion, and fairness with respect to the common attributes of the BCIs must be critically considered. For example, consider a scenario where a BCI is used to control a prosthetic limb. Without proper privacy measures, “unauthorised access to the BCI could lead to manipulation of the prosthetic limb,” posing risks to the user’s safety and autonomy.
Overcoming these difficulties requires the joint efforts of all the stakeholders, such as researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders. In the same way, we have to critically assess the technical, ethical, and accessibility issues in BCI. We may then be able to capture the potential of these BCIs and ultimately improve human lives.
In this instance, just imagine that we are submerging into the future of BCIs, and to my surprise, it feels like living in a movie where sci-fi is a reality! BCIs are going to be able to do all kinds of really advanced things very soon. People are going to think that they are very cool. We are entering an entirely new realm of brainy gadgets that are becoming smaller, sleeker, and oh-so-wearable. It is now all gear change; the future of BCI is almost as organic as slipping on your dream pair of sunglasses.
Yesterday Daniel Dennett died. He was 82, about the same age as my father when he died a few years ago.
