Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: neuroscience – Page 2

Over the past several decades, human lifespan has steadily increased. However, this progress has also led to a growing proportion of the population suffering from age-related diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and diabetes. Extending both lifespan and healthspan, the period of life spent in good health, requires a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that promote healthy aging.

In the natural world, mammalian lifespans vary enormously, ranging from just 1 to 2 years in some rodents to more than a century in species.

A species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.

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In a study published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Oklahoma researchers detail their discoveries about why the brain tumor glioblastoma is so aggressive. Their findings center on ZIP4, a protein that transports zinc throughout the body and sets off a cascade of events that drive tumor growth.

About half of all malignant brain tumors are glioblastomas, the deadliest form of brain cancer with a median survival rate of 14 months.

“Surgery for glioblastoma is very challenging, and patients almost always experience a relapse,” said the study’s senior author, Min Li, Ph.D., a professor of medicine, surgery and at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. “By better understanding why these brain tumors are so aggressive, we hope to open up paths for new treatments.”

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AUSTIN, Texas — Editor’s note: A previous version of this story stated an incorrect percentage in one of the quotes from State Rep. Jared Patterson. This article has been updated to reflect the correct information.

The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would restrict the access of minors to social media.

State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), who authored House Bill 186, said the legislation was born out of concerns over the mental health and safety of young users.

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Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent calorie restriction leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.

Researchers from China studied 25 volunteers classed as obese over a period of 62 days, during which they took part in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program – a regime that involves careful control of calorie intake and relative fasting on some days.

Not only did the participants in the study lose weight – 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average – there was also evidence of shifts in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, and in the make-up of gut bacteria.

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About 20% to 35% of the population suffers from chronic sleep disorders—and up to half of all people in older age. Moreover, almost every teenager or adult has experienced short-term sleep deprivation at some point. There are many reasons for not getting enough sleep, whether it be partying, a long day at work, caring for relatives, or simply whiling away time on smartphones.

In a recent meta-study, Jülich researchers have now been able to show that the involved in the short-term and long-term conditions differ significantly. The results of the study were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

“Poor sleep is one of the most important—but changeable—risk factors for in adolescents and ,” says Jülich researcher and Privatdozent Dr. Masoud Tahmasian, who coordinated the study. In contrast, long-term pathological sleep disorders, such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and short-term sleep deprivation, are located in different parts of the brain.

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In this talk, Klaus Mainzer explores the connections between the Leibniz’ Monadology, the structure and function of the brain, and recent developments in quantum computing. He reflects on the nature of complexity, intelligence, and the possibilities of quantum information technologies.

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Scientists using living human brain tissue have shown for the first time how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can stick to and damage the connections between brain cells.

Small pieces of healthy —collected during routine neurosurgery operations—were exposed to the protein, known as amyloid beta.

Unlike when subjected to a normal form of the protein, the brain tissue did not attempt to repair damage caused by the toxic form of amyloid beta, experts say.

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Background and ObjectiveSeveral studies have shown that idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) can mimic other neurodegenerative disorders, particularly progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). In this study, we investigated iNPH clinical and…

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