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Category: neuroscience – Page 16

Maximizing Tumor Resection and Managing Cognitive… : Neurosurgery

NEUNew Maximizing Tumor Resection and Managing Cognitive Attentional Outcomes: Measures of Impact of Awake Surgery in Glioma Treatment by Zigiotto et al at “S. Chiara” University-Hospital, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari, Trento, Italy Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)

including attention. Understanding how AwS and AsS affect attention is crucial, given its pivotal role in supporting various cognitive functions.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective analysis on 64 glioma patients treated with AwS or AsS. Attention was assessed with visual search tasks and Trail Making Test Part A before and 1 week and 1 month after surgery. Volumetric T1-weighted and T2/Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery MRI sequences before and after surgery were used to delineate the lesion and the surgical cavity. The extent of resection was calculated to determine supramaximal resection for both contrast-enhanced and non–contrast-enhanced tumor regions.

RESULTS:

Scientists Identify Key Protein That Could Reverse Brain Aging

The study findings also suggest approaches that enhance expression or activity of DMTF1 may have therapeutic potential in reversing or delaying aging-associated decline of neural stem cell function.

While the preliminary findings stemmed mainly from in vitro experiments, the researchers hope to explore if elevating DMTF1 expression can regenerate neural stem cell numbers as well as improve learning and memory under the conditions of telomere shortening and natural aging, without increasing the risk of brain tumors. The long-term objective is to discover small molecules that can enhance DMTF1 expression and activity to improve the function of aged neural stem cells.

“Our findings suggest that DMTF1 can contribute to neural stem cell multiplication in neurological aging,” Dr Liang said. “While our study is in its infancy, the findings provide a framework for understanding how aging-associated molecular changes affect neural stem cell behavior, and may ultimately guide the development of successful therapeutics.”

A mesoscale optogenetics system for precise and robust stimulation of the primate cortex

Li et al. present a microLED-based mesoscale optogenetic system for centimeter-scale, million-pixel primate cortical stimulation. Optogenetically evoked saccades with accurate retinotopic organization remain stable for over a year, demonstrating precise, robust, and durable neuromodulation and charting a path toward next-generation optical brain-computer interfaces and visual prostheses.

Real-time imaging captures contact between cells and between a single neuron’s extensions

Living organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells that cooperate to create the organs and systems that breathe, eat, move, and think. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track how and when cells touch each other to work together in these ways. In a study published in January in Cell Reports Methods, researchers from The University of Osaka reported the development of fluorescent markers for monitoring cell communication under a microscope.

Cells communicate with each other by making cell-to-cell contacts, and fluorescent markers are often used to visualize these contacts. The most commonly used marker for this purpose is green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP can be divided into two halves that are expressed on different cells. When the cells touch, the two halves come together to form a complete GFP, letting off a fluorescent signal.

“Split GFP is useful for detecting the formation of stable connections between cells,” says lead author of the study Takashi Kanadome. “But because it takes time for the rejoined GFP to emit its signal and the association is irreversible, this approach cannot be used to detect dynamic cell–cell interactions in real-time.”

Nothing Is Real: The Simulation Hypothesis

Are we living inside a computer simulation? The evidence is more compelling than you think.

In this deep exploration of the Simulation Hypothesis, we examine the scientific and philosophical arguments that suggest our reality might be code. From Nick Bostrom’s groundbreaking trilemma to quantum mechanics acting like a computer program, from the fine-tuned constants of physics to Elon Musk’s probabilistic arguments—we follow the evidence wherever it leads. Whether we’re simulated or not, the question reveals profound truths about consciousness, reality, and what it means to be human.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 — The Uncomfortable Question.

4:47 — Nick Bostrom’s Trilemma: The Logical Trap.

9:34 — The Ancestor Simulation Scenario.

Continue reading “Nothing Is Real: The Simulation Hypothesis” | >

The Mystery of Consciousness: Antonio Damasio & David Chalmers with Marcelo Gleiser

A neuroscientist, a philosopher and a physicist convene to discuss one of the biggest and most significant questions of all time: human consciousness, what we know and don’t know about it, and whether science will ever be able to understand what makes you, you.

Recorded Oct 16, 2016 at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

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Exploring the role of apolipoprotein ε4 in progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1

“Despite greater white matter degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, APOE ε4 carriers exhibited preserved deep brain volumes and better self-reported well-being. This study highlights the complex interplay between genetic factors and neurodegenerative processes. Our future research aims to provide more natural history data of EPM1 and correlate long-term phenotypic data with additional geno-phenotypic analyses.”

Read this original article from Epileptic Disorders at doi.org/10.1002/epd2.70112.

Objective Progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1 (EPM1) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by biallelic variants in the cystatin B (CSTB) gene. Despite a progressive course, phenotype severity varies among patients, even within families. We studied the potential role of APOE ε4 in modifying phenotypic diversity in EPM1, given its established association with neurodegeneration, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease.

Violence linked to depression in adolescent girls but not boys

A longitudinal study of adolescents from the Chicago metropolitan area found that in female, but not in male adolescents, higher exposure to violence was associated with more severe depression symptoms. In males, depression was associated with the expansion of the salience network of the brain and with increased connectivity of this network. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Violence exposure in this study was defined as experiencing, witnessing, or being repeatedly confronted with acts of interpersonal physical violence, such as being shoved, kicked, punched, or attacked with a weapon. It is a major risk factor for mental health problems, increasing the likelihood of all types of psychopathology.

Childhood adversities such as physical abuse and family violence account for a substantial proportion of psychiatric disorders that emerge during adolescence. This period is especially sensitive because key social and emotional brain systems are still developing. Exposure to violence during adolescence is associated with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as rumination and emotional suppression, which contribute to rising rates of depression.

A simple blood test could change how Alzheimer’s is diagnosed

A blood test, combined with an ultrathin material derived from graphite, could significantly advance efforts to detect Alzheimer’s disease at its very earliest stage, even before symptoms appear.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. For millions of Europeans—and the health services that care for them—it is a ticking time bomb, with still no cure. But EU researchers are developing a simple tool to enable much earlier detection, potentially decades before symptoms appear.

Early detection matters because treatment is most effective when started as soon as possible. This gives people a better chance to slow the progression of the disease and plan for the future. Today, around 7 million people in Europe live with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to double by 2030, according to the European Brain Council.

This brain discovery is forcing scientists to rethink how memory works

A new brain imaging study reveals that remembering facts and recalling life events activate nearly identical brain networks. Researchers expected clear differences but instead found strong overlap across memory types. The finding challenges decades of memory research. It may also help scientists better understand conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

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