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Category: health

How neuron groups team up to embed memories in context

Humans have the remarkable ability to remember the same person or object in completely different situations. We can easily distinguish between dinner with a friend and a business meeting with the same friend. “We already know that deep in the memory centers of the brain, specific cells, called concept neurons, respond to this friend, regardless of the environment in which he appears,” says Prof. Florian Mormann from the Clinic for Epileptology at the UKB, who is also a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) Life & Health at the University of Bonn.

However, the brain must be able to combine this content with the context in order to form a useful memory. In rodents, individual neurons often mix these two pieces of information. “We asked ourselves: Does the human brain function fundamentally differently here? Does it map content and context separately to enable a more flexible memory? And how do these separate pieces of information connect when we need to remember specific content according to context?” says Dr. Marcel Bausch, working group leader at the Department of Epileptology and member of TRA Life & Health at the University of Bonn.

Pain-sensing neurons kick-start immune responses that drive allergies and asthma

Pain-sensing neurons in the gut kindle inflammatory immune responses that cause allergies and asthma, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine. The findings, published in Nature, suggest that current drugs may not be as effective because they only address the immune component of these conditions, overlooking the contribution of neurons.

“Today’s blockbuster biologics are sometimes only 50% effective and when the treatments do work, they sometimes lose their efficacy over time,” said senior author Dr. David Artis, director of the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Michael Kors Professor in Immunology at Weill Cornell.

While the idea may be new to the field, Dr. Artis has been thinking about the role the nervous system may play in allergies and asthma for about two decades. For example, many of the symptoms that characterize these conditions, like itching and wheezing, are known to be neuronally controlled. “That was one of the clues that prompted us to look closer for a connection,” Dr. Artis said.

New BMI uses AI to reveal hidden metabolic disorders

Researchers at Leipzig University and the University of Gothenburg have developed a novel approach to assessing an individual’s risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes or fatty liver disease more precisely. Instead of relying solely on the widely used body mass index (BMI), the team developed an AI-based computational model using metabolic measurements. This so-called metabolic BMI shows that people of normal weight with a high metabolic BMI have up to a fivefold higher risk of metabolic disease. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The conventional body mass index, calculated using height and weight, may indicate overweight but does not reflect how healthy or unhealthy body fat actually is. According to BMI classifications, up to 30% of people are considered to be of normal weight but already show dangerous metabolic changes. Conversely, there are individuals with an elevated BMI whose metabolism remains largely unremarkable. This discrepancy can lead to at-risk patients being identified and treated too late.

For the current scientific study, the international research team analyzed data from two large Swedish population studies involving a total of almost 2,000 participants. In addition to standard health and lifestyle parameters, extensive laboratory data from blood samples and analyses of the gut microbiome were collected. Based on this dataset, the researchers developed a computational model that predicts metabolic BMI.

Boosting the cell’s own cleanup: New class of small molecules accelerate natural protein degradation

Cells have a remarkable housekeeping system: Proteins that are no longer needed, defective, or potentially harmful are labeled with a molecular “tag” and dismantled in the cellular recycling machinery. This process, known as the ubiquitin-proteasome system, is crucial for health and survival.

Now, an international team of scientists led by CeMM, AITHYRA and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund has identified a new class of small molecules that harness this natural system to accelerate the removal of an immune-modulating enzyme called IDO1.

The findings, published in Nature Chemistry, introduce a new concept in drug discovery that could transform how we target difficult proteins in cancer and beyond.

AI-powered ECG analysis shows promise for early COPD detection

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Effective management hinges on early diagnosis, which is often impeded by non-specific symptoms and resource-intensive diagnostic methods. A study published in the journal eBioMedicine assesses the effectiveness of electrocardiograms (ECGs) analyzed via deep learning as a tool for early COPD detection.

Mount Sinai researchers utilized a Convolutional Neural Network model to analyze ECGs, or medical tests that record the heart’s electrical activity, and can detect COPD. The primary outcome was the accuracy of a new clinical COPD diagnosis, as determined by International Classification of Disease codes. They performed an evaluation using Area-Under-the-Curve (AUC) metrics, derived by testing against ECGs from patients at five hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System who represented a demographically diverse patient population in New York City.

They examined data from 2006 to 2023 within the GE MUSE system that exports electrocardiograms as individual XML files containing raw waveforms. The experts also used ECGs from patients at another hospital and ECGs of patients with COPD within the UK BioBank to expand the cohort and validate the analysis.

Abstract: Can we help fat cells get in shape in diabetes?

Here, James C. Lo & team identify FAM20C as a key mediator of obesity-induced adipocyte dysfunction and inflammation, suggesting its inhibition as a potential therapy for Type2 Diabetes:

The figure shows visceral white adipose tissue in mice with adipocyte-specific deletion of Fam20c shifts shows lower macrophage area compared with controls.

1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Weill Center for Metabolic Health, Cardiovascular Research Institute, and.

2Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

3Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity, and Vascular Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, University of Leipzig and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Huge genetic study reveals hidden links between psychiatric conditions

Exciting to see this modern genomic approach to classification of psychiatric disorders! Hopefully this will eventually lead to potential new gene therapy targets for treatment.

Analysis of more than one million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants.

Fathers’ Use of Valproate Raises Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Offspring

Children whose fathers took valproate within three months prior to conception were more likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders than children of men exposed to lamotrigine or levetiracetam.

Researchers behind a new study believe that it is the first to show an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring of fathers who took valproate rather than lamotrigine or levetiracetam prior to conceiving children.

Children whose fathers took valproate within the three months prior to their conception were more likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, than children of men exposed to lamotrigine or levetiracetam, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open in November.

The European research team—which analyzed medical records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—concluded that “health care practitioners should consider the potential risks associated with paternal valproate exposure and discuss alternative treatment options with male patients of reproductive age.” The team also said that “findings should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity in the unadjusted estimates.”

Neurologists’ Expertise Drives Significant Downstream Revenue in Health Care Systems

A new Medicare study reveals that neurologists generate substantially more downstream revenue when treating common neurologic conditions than non-neurologists, mainly because neurologists use more in-depth diagnostics and treatment strategies.

Neurologists generate significantly greater downstream revenue while treating common neurologic diseases than non-neurologist physicians, underscoring their clinical and financial importance to health systems, an analysis shows.

The report, published in October in Neurology Clinical Practice, revealed that neurologist-led care generated up to 519 percent more downstream revenue than non-neurologists did, adding approximately $180 million to downstream revenue totals. For autoimmune neuromuscular diseases alone, neurologist-led care generated $58.7 million in downstream revenue compared to $9.5 million from non-neurologists. This increased revenue, experts note, translates to better outcomes for patients with neurologic conditions.

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