A blood-test analysis developed at Stanford Medicine can determine the “biological ages” of 11 separate organ systems in individuals’ bodies and predict the health consequences.
Category: neuroscience
From injury to agony: Scientists discover brain pathway that turns pain into suffering
Pain isn’t just a physical sensation—it also carries emotional weight. That distress, anguish, and anxiety can turn a fleeting injury into long-term suffering.
Researchers at the Salk Institute have now identified a brain circuit that gives physical pain its emotional tone, revealing a new potential target for treating chronic and affective pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study identifies a group of neurons in a central brain area called the thalamus that appears to mediate the emotional (affective) side of pain in mice. This new pathway challenges the textbook understanding of how pain is processed in the brain and body.
The brain can selectively recognize glucose, offering clues to treat obesity and diabetes
Starting with the question “How does our brain distinguish glucose from the many nutrients absorbed in the gut?” a KAIST research team has demonstrated that the brain can selectively recognize specific nutrients—particularly glucose—beyond simply detecting total calorie content. Their study, published in Neuron, is expected to offer a new paradigm for appetite control and the treatment of metabolic diseases.
Professor Greg S.B. Suh’s team in the Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with Professor Young-Gyun Park’s team (BarNeuro), Professor Seung-Hee Lee’s team (Department of Biological Sciences), and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, have identified the existence of a gut– brain circuit that allows animals in a hungry state to selectively detect and prefer glucose in the gut.
Organisms derive energy from various nutrients, including sugars, proteins, and fats. Previous studies have shown that total caloric information in the gut suppresses hunger neurons in the hypothalamus to regulate appetite. However, the existence of a gut–brain circuit that specifically responds to glucose and corresponding brain cells had not been demonstrated until now.
Computational models explore how regions of the visual cortex jointly represent visual information
Understanding how the human brain represents the information picked up by the senses is a longstanding objective of neuroscience and psychology studies. Most past studies focusing on the visual cortex, the network of regions in the brain’s outer layer known to process visual information, have focused on the contribution of individual regions, as opposed to their collective representation of visual stimuli.
Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin recently carried out a study aimed at shedding new light on how regions across the human visual cortex collectively encode and process visual information, by simulating their contribution using computational models. Their findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, highlight specific rules that could govern the relations between these different regions of the visual cortex.
“Most of us take seeing for granted, but the process is surprisingly complex,” Alessandro Gifford, first author of the paper, told Medical Xpress. “When we look at the world, it’s not just our eyes doing the work—it’s our brain, specifically an area at the back called the visual cortex. Think of the visual cortex as a team of specialists. Each member of the team (or brain region) handles a different aspect of what we see—one might focus on shapes, another on motion, another on faces.”
Cheap Daily Supplement Appears to Boost Brain Function in Older People
What’s good for your aging gut may also be good for your aging brain. The first study of its kind in twins found that taking daily protein and prebiotic supplements can improve scores on memory tests in people over the age of 60.
Published early last year, the findings are food for thought, especially as the same visual memory and learning test is used to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
The double-blinded trial involved two cheap plant fiber prebiotics that are available over the counter in numerous nations around the world.
Peripheral nerve regeneration driven by hundreds of unknown RNA molecules
Unlike the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerve cells, whose long extensions reach the skin and internal organs, are capable of regenerating after injury. This is why injuries to the central nervous system are considered irreversible, while damage to peripheral nerves can, in some cases, heal, even if it takes months or years. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms behind peripheral nerve regeneration remain only partially understood.
In a new study published in Cell, researchers from Prof. Michael (Mike) Fainzilber’s lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that a family of hundreds of RNA molecules with no known physiological function is essential to nerve regeneration.
Remarkably, the study showed that these molecules can stimulate growth not only in the peripheral nervous system of mice but also in their central nervous system. These findings could pave the way for new treatments for a variety of nerve injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.
Child walks again after receiving experimental treatment for rare genetic condition
In what experts are calling a “dream come true,” scientists used a recent biochemical discovery to help an 8-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition regain mobility.
Researchers from NYU Langone demonstrated, in a study published in Nature on Wednesday, how a chemical precursor to a commonly available enzyme, CoQ10, can help brain cells overcome a rare genetic condition that severely hobbles cells’ energy production process. Without treatment, the boy’s condition is known to deteriorate rapidly and could be fatal.
NYU Langone researchers have helped an 8-year-old boy regain mobility using an experimental treatment.
Neuralink Could Restore Hearing, Says Elon Musk | ISH News
Around the world, technology is slowly becoming a part of our bodies. What was once shown only in science fiction movies is now becoming real.
For example, in Sweden, thousands of people already have small chips inside their hands. These chips help them open doors, unlock cars, and enter offices—without using keys or cards. These tiny chips make daily life easier and smoother.
Now imagine—what if a chip could not only make life easy but also help people with disabilities?
This is what Neuralink, a company started by Elon Musk in 2016, is trying to do.
Neuralink’s dream is to connect the human brain directly with a computer using a very small chip. Their main aim is to help people who have serious spinal injuries and cannot move.
In early trials, Neuralink showed positive results. Some people with paralysis could move a computer cursor or play a chess game—just by thinking. This has given hope to many people who cannot move.
But recently, Elon Musk made a new and bold statement that caught the world’s attention.
In a post on social media platform X (earlier called Twitter), Musk said that Neuralink’s brain chip could help deaf people hear—even those who were born deaf.
He explained that this chip would directly send signals to the part of the brain that understands sound. So, even if a person’s ears do not work, they might still be able to hear.
This is different from cochlear implants, which help some deaf people by sending signals to the hearing nerve. Neuralink’s chip would go even deeper—straight to the brain’s hearing area.
If successful, this chip could help those who cannot use cochlear implants and give them a new way to experience sound. Elon Musk even said that in the future, such chips might give humans “super-hearing”—allowing them to hear sounds that normal ears cannot hear.
However, this is still just an idea. The chip is still being tested. Many technical, safety, and ethical questions are yet to be answered.
Also, many Deaf people and experts have said that deafness is not a problem to be “fixed.” For many, deafness is an identity, a language, and a culture. They want to be respected for who they are—not forced to change.
At ISH News, we agree with this view. We do not believe that deafness must be “cured.” We also do not support the idea of putting chips inside the body through surgery.
But as a news platform made for the Deaf community, we believe it is important to share such news. We want to keep our viewers informed so they can think and talk about these big topics.
We are here to provide both sides of the story—the big promises of this new technology, and the serious questions it raises. This way, our community can decide what they think for themselves.
The world is now watching to see what Neuralink does next—and whether this brain chip can really change the way people live.
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DMT Study Set To Explore Breakthrough Potential in Stroke Recovery
The study, which is set to begin in the third quarter of 2025, will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 40 stroke patients in Europe.
Dr. Nardai, a leading cerebrovascular disease specialist, is currently the Head of the Department of Neurointervention at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He previously led a preclinical study published in Experimental Neurology in May 2020, which demonstrated that rats treated with sub-hallucinogenic doses of DMT showed near-complete motor function recovery and smaller infarct volumes compared to untreated control groups. This research provided the basis for Algernon’s clinical investigation into DMT as a potential neuroprotective agent for stroke recovery.
“The primary endpoint of the planned Phase 2a study will be safety,” said Dr. Nardai in the news release. “However, stroke clinicians worldwide will also be watching for positive signals regarding lesion volume, biomarkers, motor function, cognitive function, depression, and mortality.””
Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AGN: CSE; AGNPF: OTCQB; AGW0:XFRA) subsidiary Algernon NeuroScience has appointed Dr. Sandor Nardai as Principal Investigator for its upcoming Phase 2a DMT stroke study. Find out how this trial could reshape stroke recovery research.