The mammalian brain is known to produce mental representations of the spatial environment, known as cognitive maps, that help humans and animals navigate their surroundings. A subpopulation of neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, which are referred to as place cells (PCs), have been found to become active when animals visit specific places or locations in their environment.
The activation of these cells was previously linked to the encoding of space-and goal-related information, which was predicted to support the creation of cognitive maps. While numerous past studies explored the function of PCs and their contribution to the creation of cognitive maps, the role of experience in shaping the creation of these maps has not yet been elucidated.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine recently shed new light on the mechanisms through which experience could influence the encoding of information by PCs. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that experiences produce an adjustment of synaptic input in the mouse brain, which in turn affects the activity of PCs, enabling the production of flexible cognitive maps.
Brain cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the blood, carrying diverse cargoes, represent a valuable source of predictive, diagnostic, prognostic, disease-monitoring and treatment-response biomarkers for neurological disorders. This Review summarizes key aspects of EV biology and provides a critical overview of EV biomarker research and therapeutic development in neurology.
The first genetically engineered synapses have been implanted in a mammal’s brain. Chemical brain signals have been bypassed in the brains of mice and replaced with electrical signals, changing their behaviour in incredible ways. Not only did they become more sociable, they were also less anxious and exhibited fewer OCD-like symptoms. This work has sparked hope that one day we could use this technology to help humans with mental health conditions. But would you want someone making permanent edits to your brain?
For the first time, climate scientists can now link specific fossil fuel companies to climate-related economic damages in particular places. A new method has been developed that can show the exact impact these companies are having on our environment — which the world’s top five emitters linked to trillions of dollars of economic losses. Find out how scientists have managed to piece this together — and whether these companies are about to face massive lawsuits.
As we reflect on the death of Pope Francis, we explore his legacy on scientific issues and his transformative stance on climate change. As the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, he became an influential figure in advocating for better care to be taken of our planet. Will his legacy continue with the next Pope?
Chapters: 00:00 Intro. 00:28 First brain engineering in a mammal. 10:57 Landmark in fossil fuel lawsuits. 19:33 Climate legacy of Pope Francis.
Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, James Dinneen, William Schafer, Chris Callahan, Justin Mankin and Miles Pattenden. – Learn more ➤ https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts.
CINCINNATI (WKRC) — A commonly prescribed sleeping pill could be a powerful tool in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, according to recently published research.
The study, published in Annals of Neurology, was born from the long-standing scientific belief that poor sleep increases a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s. This belief came from the fact that sleep clears out wasteful proteins like amyloid-beta and tau, which Alzheimer’s patients often have a high build up of.
The study examined suvorexant, a sleeping pill regularly prescribed for insomnia, and observed its effects on clearing those waste proteins.
Imagine if our computers could think more like us—learning from experience, adapting on the go, and doing all this while using just a fraction of the energy. That’s not science fiction anymore. Welcome to the world of Neuromorphic Computing 🧠—a field that’s redefining how machines process information by taking inspiration from the most powerful processor we know: the human brain.
A study led by Pompeu Fabra University reveals which brain mechanisms allow psychosis to remit. The results of this pioneering research could have important clinical implications for exploring new intervention strategies in patients with psychosis. The study was carried out in collaboration with one of the main psychiatry groups at Lausanne University Hospital (Switzerland).
The study examines differences in the neural connectivity patterns of patients who have recovered from psychosis and subjects who have not. Identifying these differences using computational models has enabled determining which patterns of neural connectivity facilitate the remission of the disease.
The results of the research have recently been published in an article in the journal Nature Mental Health. Its principal author is Ludovica Mana, a doctor and neuroscientist of the Computational Neuroscience group at the UPF Center for Brain and Cognition (CBC). The main co-investigators are Gustavo Deco and Manel-Vila Vidal, director and researcher with the same research group, respectively.
Researchers have identified a key enzyme driving forms of Parkinson’s disease, and have shown how blocking it restores normal function in animal and cell models, offering a promising new drug target for the condition.
In Parkinson’s, a protein known as alpha-synuclein builds up in clumps called Lewy bodies in nerve cells in the brain. These clumps of protein stop these cells from functioning normally, eventually leading the cells to die.
In a world-first, scientists have figured out how to reprogram cells to fight — and potentially reverse — brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine created lab-grown immune cells that can track down toxic brain buildup and clear it away, restoring memory and brain function in mice.
A new brain-inspired AI model called TopoLM learns language by organizing neurons into clusters, just like the human brain. Developed by researchers at EPFL, this topographic language model shows clear patterns for verbs, nouns, and syntax using a simple spatial rule that mimics real cortical maps. TopoLM not only matches real brain scans but also opens new possibilities in AI interpretability, neuromorphic hardware, and language processing.
Join our free AI content course here 👉 https://www.skool.com/ai-content-acce… the best AI news without the noise 👉 https://airevolutionx.beehiiv.com/ 🔍 What’s Inside: • A brain-inspired AI model called TopoLM that learns language by building its own cortical map • Neurons are arranged on a 2D grid where nearby units behave alike, mimicking how the human brain clusters meaning • A simple spatial smoothness rule lets TopoLM self-organize concepts like verbs and nouns into distinct brain-like regions 🎥 What You’ll See: • How TopoLM mirrors patterns seen in fMRI brain scans during language tasks • A comparison with regular transformers, showing how TopoLM brings structure and interpretability to AI • Real test results proving that TopoLM reacts to syntax, meaning, and sentence structure just like a biological brain 📊 Why It Matters: This new system bridges neuroscience and machine learning, offering a powerful step toward *AI that thinks like us. It unlocks better interpretability, opens paths for **neuromorphic hardware*, and reveals how one simple principle might explain how the brain learns across all domains. DISCLAIMER: This video covers topographic neural modeling, biologically-aligned AI systems, and the future of brain-inspired computing—highlighting how spatial structure could reshape how machines learn language and meaning. #AI #neuroscience #brainAI
🔍 What’s Inside: • A brain-inspired AI model called TopoLM that learns language by building its own cortical map. • Neurons are arranged on a 2D grid where nearby units behave alike, mimicking how the human brain clusters meaning. • A simple spatial smoothness rule lets TopoLM self-organize concepts like verbs and nouns into distinct brain-like regions.
🎥 What You’ll See: • How TopoLM mirrors patterns seen in fMRI brain scans during language tasks. • A comparison with regular transformers, showing how TopoLM brings structure and interpretability to AI • Real test results proving that TopoLM reacts to syntax, meaning, and sentence structure just like a biological brain.
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction. 00:49 Breaking the Classical Wall – What the Game Revealed. 02:32 Entanglement at Scale – Knots, Topology, and Robust Design. 03:51 Implications – A New Era of Quantum Machines. 07:37 Outro. 07:47 Enjoy.
