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Category: neuroscience

Researchers develop two-layer neural model that matches complex visual processing in the brain

Neuroscientists want to understand how individual neurons encode information that allows us to distinguish objects, like telling a leaf apart from a rock. But they have struggled to build computational models that are simple enough to allow them to understand what individual neurons are doing.

To address this challenge, researchers in the Stringer and Pachitariu labs at Janelia set out to create a simpler model to explain what’s going on in the —the first stop in the brain for . Their paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.

“We are trying to build a model that can predict the visual responses of each individual neuron,” says Fengtong Du, a graduate student in the Stringer Lab who led the new research.

Researchers take major step toward cuff-free blood pressure monitoring

Researchers have shown, for the first time, that speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) can be used for cuffless blood pressure monitoring. The new technology could improve early detection and management of hypertension.

“Hypertension affects nearly half of all adults in the US and is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease,” said Ariane Garrett, a doctoral student in Darren Roblyer’s lab at Boston University. “This research is a step toward a that would let people monitor their any time, without a cuff.”

SCOS is a noninvasive imaging technique that measures by analyzing speckle patterns formed by coherent light scattering from cells and tissue. While it has been used for other applications such as brain and tissue monitoring, this is one of the first studies to explore how SCOS signals relate to blood pressure.

Open House

Have you heard about the crazy guys who bought an entire tower to convert it into a vertical village? Yes, that’s us.

Do you want to walk the 16-floor tower and explore the space? Still on the fence, if you should become a citizen? Do you have questions about how you can get involved and co-create? Wanna hear updates on what happened in the last 2 weeks? This event is for you! 👩‍🚀

About us: We are transforming a 16-floor tower in the heart of San Francisco into a self-governed vertical village —a hub for frontier technologies and creative arts. 8 themed floors will be dedicated to creating tier-one labs, spanning AI, Ethereum, biotech, neuroscience, longevity, robotics, human flourishing, and arts & music. These floors will house innovators and creators pushing the boundaries of human potential in a post-AI-singularity world.

DNA as a perfect quantum computer based on the quantum physics principles

I believe that dna will be able to answer just about all our genetic coding questions so much that it will lead to even better breakthroughs in the future and use hardly any energy. I believe also that the master algorithm can eventually be derived from DNA as dna seems already a perfect master algorithm for human beings where human beings are the key to all future progress. I say this as quantum computing is still not stable but we already know that dna computers seem already a masterpiece already especially even organoids of the human brain. Really it becomes really quite simple as even the quantum realm is unstable but dna computers that are quantum would stabilize this currently unstable realm.

Riera Aroche, R., Ortiz García, Y.M., Martínez Arellano, M.A. et al. DNA as a perfect quantum computer based on the quantum physics principles. Sci Rep 14, 11,636 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62539-5

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Researchers discover link between key protein and brain synapse development

Scientists have uncovered how a protein helps build and maintain vital brain connections, providing insights into the neurological problems experienced by people with a rare form of muscular dystrophy known as dystroglycanopathy.

The research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University and published in Communications Biology reveals that the protein Dystroglycan plays a critical role in forming and maintaining connections between nerve cells in the cerebellum—the part of the brain responsible for movement coordination and motor learning.

In people with dystroglycanopathy, in the protein affect not only muscles but also the brain. The condition is a type of congenital muscular dystrophy, a group of inherited disorders that appear at birth or in early infancy.

Blood stem cell mutations linked to lower risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease

A study published in Cell Stem Cell reveals that some mutations in blood stem cells might help protect against late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that both a mouse model and people carrying blood stem cells with mutations in the gene TET2, but not in the gene DNMT3A, had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Their study proposes a mechanism that can protect against the disease and opens new avenues for potential strategies to control the emergence and progression of this devastating condition.

“Our lab has long been studying blood stem cells, also called ,” said lead author Dr. Katherine King, professor of pediatrics— and a member of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor. She is also part of Texas Children’s Hospital.